Dust to Dust
by BatmanRules256
Summary: Chara, the first fallen human, wakes up to find herself trapped by a human of an evil intent. Her SOUL hijacked by this... human, she's forced to watch it tear through the Underground on a killing spree. But, once she frees herself, can she give the monsters what they all want: Freedom? And, once they get it, how will it affect the resurrected human?
1. Prologue: Genocide

Dust to Dust

Chara felt her blackness lift slowly. She felt herself levitate into the air, her SOUL seeming to flow straight into something else. Her consciousness was bound to it, but she felt whatever it was pull her forcefully. She struggled to escape, but her SOUL was already caught.

She had been dead, resting after she had tried, tried oh so hard to save them, but to no true avail. Her fears and hatred had overwhelmed her and it was all _he_ could do to prevent her from ruining it all for them.

Tendrils of blackness wrapped around her spectral arms and legs within her consciousness, binding her as she began to see images; images of what looked like a human… a human that seemed to resemble her. Her fears and hatred of humanity surfaced, causing her to struggle further as she tried to break free, but the dark things holding her pulled more, holding her tight.

Her confusion came full circle as she saw that this human didn't feel… human. There was an empty husk almost, something Chara became terrified of. She could feel… nothing from this human.

Suddenly, she saw something walking towards her in the blackness she was held in. It made slow, methodical steps toward her, its outline slowly becoming clear as she saw it. Her heart, which she wasn't sure how it was there (perhaps it was just her SOUL), was beating rapidly as her red eyes widened in panic as she saw it.

It was the human from the images, dressed in a sweater of blue and purple that was almost a mockery of her own. The human's hair was cut similarly, but not exactly, like Chara's own. The eyes, however, were brown, one of the two features that were distinctly different. Her skin was the other, being a more yellowish tone to Chara's near albino shade of pale.

"Wh-What do you want with me?" Chara asked, trying to keep her voice steady. The sixteen year old looked at this human that looked… almost like a pale imitation of her with fear and horror.

"I'm here to take what should have been take long ago," The human said in a sick, twisted voice, one that made Chara struggle a little harder to escape her bindings, only to find she was held fast, the human walking up to her with a smile that shook Chara to her core. If she still had organs, she would have urinated herself from the fear this human made her feel, which was truly something that Chara would never have expected such a small human to be able to accomplish. Black tears, almost symbolic of her ghostly state, streaked down her face as she tried to just curl into a ball and avoid the look this human was giving her.

"What's wrong?" The human asked, looking at her. "Aren't you excited?"

"I-I want to go home," Chara said the words she'd never expected to hear come from her mouth as she let out a sob.

"Well, I suppose we're going to go there." The human let out a little giggle. Chara felt her fear rise at the simple action of a giggle. It sounded… insane, psychotic even. Chara just wanted to be home, be back in her warm bed with… she continued to sob as she knew it would never be the same… not without _him_.

The human disappeared, almost surprising Chara. She was suddenly given what seemed like a view of the human, both from her own eyes and from near the human. The human was in what looked like a field of flowers. Chara had seen several similar in her home, but this one resembled one she knew from the RUINS.

A little flower with a smiling face Chara felt an… odd sense towards popped up and moved back and forth. It looked at the human, laughing.

"Howdy," It said. "I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower. Nice ta meetcha."

The human walked by, ignoring the flower (who then burrowed under the ground) reaching a Froggit. The Froggit ribbited, hopping up to the human. Chara felt an unknown panic rise in her chest, the sixteen year old unable to determine where it came from. She felt herself dragged forward, out of the solitude and into the area where the human was, still fully bound and held by what seemed like a spectral leash coming from the human.

Chara's panic increased as she saw the human strike the Froggit with a stick, turning it into dust. A tear ran down Chara's face at the vile act. The human seemed emotionless, undisturbed by the act. While Chara would want to kill humans, she would never even think of harming, much less killing, a monster. It was the most horrifying act she had ever seen.

She wanted to throw up, watching this human step through the dust of the Froggit, her (at least Chara assumed it was a girl from the giggle) shoes getting a few flecks of white on them. In her assumed solitude, bound to witness the monstrosity of this human, she sobbed once, hoping that no other monsters found their way into this human's path.

To her horror, several more monsters stumbled upon this vile human. Chara was forced to watch as they were turned into dust, covering this child a bit more. Now, some of their pants were covered in the dust. Black tears now continuously ran down Chara's face, the sixteen year old clenching her eyes shut, but the images were burned into her mind. Even with her eyes closed, however, she couldn't escape the sight of the human.

Eventually, Chara caught sight of a monster she knew wouldn't be able to bring herself to defend against this human. The second monster Chara had ever encountered. Chara could still remember the smell of her fur and dress; still feel the warmth of her hugs. See the smile that was always in those crimson orbs of her eyes.

"Mom, ru—" Chara tried to shout to the monster, but the blackness wrapped around her mouth, immediately silencing her.

"Not like it'd do you any good, but I'd rather not hear your screams in my ear just yet." The human giggled again, Chara struggling to free herself to warn her adoptive mother of the danger she was in. "She won't hear you. But, I brought you out so you could see in an… up close and personal way. I figured some monsters deserve you to see it firsthand."

Chara struggled in vain to free herself from this human's grasp to escape and warn her adoptive mother. She began crying once again as the human walked up to Chara's mother.

"Oh, dear," The got like monster said. "Another child has fallen down. Well, little one, let me take you home. My name is Toriel. What is yours?"

The human remained silent, Chara figuring that the voice coming from her was enough to put any monster on edge. Toriel led the human through the Ruins, eventually making it to a long room.

"I shall be back." She said, patting the human. "Then, I will help you get that dust off of you. A clean child is a happy child."

"Seems it's time you go back in." The human giggled, Chara feeling herself being yanked back into the blackness, letting her see from the human's eyes.

Chara felt the blackness remove itself from her mouth, allowing her sobs to loudly escape as she pleaded with this human to spare her mother.

"Why?" The human asked. "After all, she's a monster."

Chara's eyes widened as she realized this wasn't just a few killings… it was genocide.

"Please… no." Chara said, tears streaking down her face again. "Don't kill them. I'll… I'll do anything."

"This isn't a matter of compensation." The human giggled once again, giving a smile that made every hair on Chara's neck stand up. It was abhorrently terrifying and Chara could feel the pure hatred and evil behind it. This human… looked less like a human than when she'd first encountered her. "It's a matter of extermination. Besides, who said you were the one in control?"

Chara struggled, knowing what she needed to do.

"Please don't kill my mom." She pleaded, bowing her head in shame as she couldn't do anything. Her reddish brown hair fell forward, making her less human looking, but only since she had longer hair than when she first fell.

"I'm guessing you're not gonna like what happens." The human giggled louder as Chara slumped more in her bonds, simply being forced to watch as the human traipsed through the underground, killing any Froggit, Whismur, Moldsmal, or Lox she came across. The dust was on more of her pants now as she made it to Toriel's house.

"Oh, there you are." Toriel said, taking the human by the hand. "It seems you have more dust on you. I'll need to wash that off really well so you don't get it everywhere."

She showed the human to a room where she was led into a room with a single twin bed.

" _Wait,"_ Chara thought to herself. _"Where's_ his _bed? Is it… a different place?"_

"This is your room," Toriel said. "Enjoy and I'll get the bath ready for you."

The human let out a smile that Chara shrank under as she appeared next to Chara.

"Tensing up for what's about to happen?" The child asked, Chara trying her best to glare. But, with her tear stained face, she didn't look very intimidating; only pathetic and lost.

"Oh, don't worry." The human giggled. "She won't feel it for long."

"You… You…" Chara tried to say, but the human put a finger over Chara's lips.

"Best not use your words yet." The human said, giving that smile that put any 'creepy face' Chara had given to shame. "After all, she's not going to be the last."

"She'll… she'll stop you." Chara said.

"No she won't." The human snickered. "She can't. It's not like she fights much."

"You… you demon." Chara said.

"Time will tell." The human said in a chilling voice, different than the previous.

Chara tried to struggle more as she wanted to just be away from this being. She also wanted to stop her, but she knew she had no power to do so. This… thing had a latch on her SOUL, binding it and potentially using it to her advantage.

The human began to leave the room, heading down the stairs. Chara knew this led to the entrance to Snowdin. She knew this would let this human into the entirety of the rest of the underground. Her only hope was that it was locked.

"My child," Toriel's voice came from behind them. "You mustn't go there. It's dangerous. Come back and we'll be happy here."

The human continued walking, reaching for the door as a fireball shot in front of her, hitting the door.

"It's… it's not safe." Toriel said, her hand smoking a little from the fireball.

The child gave that sickening smile, which actually put Toriel a bit on edge. The child pulled out her stick, Chara shouting and pleading as she watched it. The human walked closer to Toriel, who simply stood there. Chara watched in pure horror as the human made one slash at Toriel. Immediately, Toriel's entire body was rattled, a huge gash opening up as the look of shock and horror on her face was fixed.

"It… seems." Chara heard her voice say, weakening as she felt her fade. "I was protecting… them after all."

And, with that being said, Toriel turned to dust, the human walking over it and stomping on it.

Chara let out an anguished sob, tears gushing from her face as she watched her mother die, right in front of her eyes.

"Don't lose all your tears yet." The human giggled. "We're not near done yet."

Chara continued to sob as the human, now covered in more dust, walked out into Snowdin.

The human came to a gate, immediately turning her head as she saw a skeleton walk up from behind.

"Don't you know how to greet a new pal?" He asked, holding out his hand. Chara could detect some menace in his voice, but couldn't determine what it was. She knew that this skeleton was odd though. The human looked at the skeleton, reacting by saying nothing.

"Eh, whatever." The skeleton shrugged. "Anyway, my brother ain't never seen a human before. So, could ya pretend for a bit?"

Chara's eyes looked up at this. If this skeleton knew this human was so inhuman, would he be strong enough to stop her? The skeleton walked away, almost teleporting as the human continued to walk through, her prisoner still struggling to break free.

 _Later_

The human continued to walk through the snowy area, cutting down any and all monsters in her path. The once decently bustling area became silent, the sound of silence haunting Chara more than anything. She watched as the human, now covered in quite a bit more dust, made it to Snowdin Town. It too was silent, not a soul about as it seemed it was deserted.

The human, seemingly knowing no monsters were around, walked through the town, Chara watching with hope that there were none. She could not escape her prison and the human knew that. She had slowly been torturing the sixteen year old with some slow deaths, including innocent monsters being killed… ones that were too scared to put up a fight.

Eventually, at the edge of Snowdin itself, in the fog of the snowy area, the human encountered Papyrus, the brother of the skeleton form earlier. Chara liked him because he was so nice and loved puzzles. Now, she realized it was come time for him to die. The very thought filled her with genuine sorrow.

"HUMAN, OR WHATEVER YOU ARE!" Papyrus said, standing there. "I WANT TO SOLVE PUZZLES WITH YOU, BUT… YOU'RE SUCH A WEIRDO."

Chara looked at him, beginning to get the notion that this skeleton wasn't as naïve or playful as she thought.

"I MEAN, YOU'VE ALWAYS GOT THIS WEIRD DUST ON YOU." Papyrus said, Chara seeing a slight dark blue light in his eyes. She thought he was realizing just what this 'human' was capable of.

"HOWEVER, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BELIEVE THAT ALL YOU NEED IS A HUG. SO, I WILL OPEN MY ARMS TO YOU NOW, HUMAN!" Papyrus said, opening his arms. The 'human' walked up, striking him with a knife she'd found. Chara's face was frozen in horror as she was forced to watch Papyrus' head fall to the ground, the rest of his body dust.

"WELL… THAT COULD HAVE GONE BETTER." Papyrus said. "BUT, I STILL BELIEVE IN YOU, HUMAN. I BELIEVE YOU COULD—"

The 'human' stepped on Papyrus' head, crushing it into dust. Chara began to sob, watching as the innocence that was Papyrus faded away.

The 'human' was almost up to her neck in dust, less of her shirt showing at this point.

"Oh, don't be sad," She giggled, standing next to Chara in her prison. "It was quick, so he didn't suffer all that much. Now, just close your eyes and watch as I go through the next two areas."

Chara noticed the 'human's voice was even darker, more distorted than before.

Chara once again tried to break free, managing to make the motion of a step toward the human, but the blackness of hatred pulled her back, holding her fast.

"Time to keep going." The human giggled, walking into Waterfall.

 _Later_

Stomping through the monsters in Waterfall, Chara kept noticing this monster child that followed the 'human'. She tried yelling out, trying to get the monster child to run, but to no avail.

The 'human' ignored the monster child, seemingly not wanting to slow down to hurt them just yet. Though, trying to avoid Undyne was also a problem the 'human' was contending with.

Chara watched as they reached the bridge that led to Hotland. The monster child was back, walking up to the 'human' as they tripped, having no arms to catch themselves.

"U-Undyne said some things to me…" The monster child said, stepping closer in a very timid manner, but seeming to gain some confidence. "Sh-She said you hurt a lot of people… so… for the sake of the Underground… I-I will fight you and d-defeat you."

Chara had to admit this child was brave, doing something that would inevitably lead to their death, but she had to admire the courage. The 'human' gave that sinister smile that made Chara quake, immediately turning the monster child's expression to one of pure terror. Chara watched as the 'human' struck the child… only for Undyne to take the blow.

"Undyne!" Chara exclaimed, shock and terror in her face as flashbacks came to her mind. She saw the child version of Undyne run into her father's throne room demanding a battle. Her father, being the softy he was, obliged, but didn't even attack her. Eventually, Undyne got tired, but she kept coming back over and over. Even when Chara and _he_ joined in, they couldn't knock her father down and even then he didn't attack back. Afterwards, he'd grab them in a big hug with Toriel joining in and laughing.

"Undyne!" The voice of the monster child brought Chara back to the present. Undyne looked at them.

"Why didn't you run?" She asked. "You gotta listen."

Chara watched as Undyne began to turn to dust. She looked down, feeling depressed. Undyne was probably the best chance the Underground had against this demon. An emptiness she hadn't acknowledged, had been there since Toriel had died and it now grew a little larger.

The 'human' smirked, turning and walking towards the cave into Hotland.

"Hold it right there, you little shit." A voice that shocked Chara and the 'human' spoke, the 'human turning. Standing there was Undyne, alive and whole, but decorated in a shining black armor with a white heart. In her hand was a powerful spear that looked as if it could pierce the heavens. DETERMINATION was bursting from the hole in her missing eye. She gave the 'human' a glare that would have made Chara's blood run cold if it were directed at her.

"You're not going anywhere." Undyne said, rushing for the 'human' and actually managing to land a hit on her. The human coughed out blood as Undyne launched dozens of spears at her. Several of them impaled the 'human', leaving Chara to hope it was the end and she was dead. Some had even pierced her heart and brain. Chara screamed in pain as she felt the spears. Since her SOUL was tied to the 'human', she could somehow feel the pain inflicted on her.

However, as Undyne watched, the human's head snapped back into normalcy, the spears all shattering.

Undyne watched in horror as the blood dripped from the various holes in the 'human's' body. Even Chara was shocked, the 'human' walking toward Undyne with that sinister grin on her face. There was a murderous intent in her eyes as she walked toward Undyne, the warrior staring her down.

The human rushed for Undyne, the two clashing in a flurry of slashes, showing the sheer speed and strength of both. However, there was one thing this 'human' had on Undyne: a far larger array of DETERMINATION. Eventually, Undyne's regenerated body began to wear down, melting like some odd things Chara had seen that her father had told her to ignore because it was a bit dangerous.

After some time, Undyne's body was half melted and she panted as she looked at the 'human'.

"While we were having this fight," She gave that cocky smirk Chara had always known. "Alphys managed to get nearly every monster out of here and to the CORE. You lose, freak."

The 'human' looked at Undyne, letting out a laugh that managed to take Undyne aback.

"If you think that's all I'm here for," She said in a voice Chara felt was even more distorted and a body to match. "You're pretty stupid. I'll find all of you eventually. Just you wait, fish."

"Good luck, shithead," Undyne said, her body melting and turning to dust for the last time.

A single tear ran down Chara's cheek as she watched yet another one of her friends die at the hands of this freak. Was she also responsible for _his_ death? No… Chara had been the one to have a lot of the responsibility there, but it could have been.

"Looks like I'm killing more and more people you care about," The freak said, snickering at the utterly dejected look Chara gave her. The sixteen year old was a broken shell at this point, sobbing silently as the freak walked closer to her. Chara could practically smell the dust on her at this point, the freak being even more covered in it. It completely blanketed the front of her pants and a good deal of her sweater.

"I wonder how many more there are," The freak said, turning after cupping Chara's cheek. "I'll just be able to tell by your sobbing."

Chara clenched her eyes tightly shut, just wanting this to all be a nightmare. She wanted to wake up, wake up next to _him_. Let _him_ hold her close and comfort her through the sobbing, like _he_ always did. She wanted _him_ back.

She watched as the freak entered Hotland, the looming entrance to the Lab of the Royal Scientist. Chara wasn't sure who the Royal Scientist was this time around, but she heard the name Alphys, so she figured this may be the person. Chara could only watch, trapped by the nightmare and hatred as the freak entered the Lab.

There was, thankfully, no one, but still some notes laid around. Chara hoped that all the rest of the monsters were evacuated.

 _Later_

The freak had gotten to the Bake Sale area that Chara remembered from her younger days. Her parents had often brought her and _him_ there to get some donuts. Chara remembered that with fondness, but that fondness immediately went away.

"Oh, what's wrong, Chara?" The freak appeared next to her, teasing her. "Still bummed out over Undyne? Well don't worry. I've got a few more people you care about still alive and I'll find them so you can see them die too."

Chara didn't respond, staring blankly ahead, truly traumatized by the events.

The freak walked through, stopping as she got stuck in some webbing.

"Looks like I found a human who's been causing trouble killing monsters and hurting spiders." A monster who was a spider came down, giggling at the freak. "Looks like I have something new to add to the next batch of cider.

The freak attacked with a frying pan she'd found, squashing the monster and turning her to dust.

Chara said nothing, not being desensitized, but fresh out of tears and voice for the moment.

"They seem to be getting easier," The freak snickered in a further distorted voice. "Looks like I'll have to settle for nothing entertaining."

Chara looked at the freak. She looked even less human than before a strange grotesqueness coming over her.

"Aww, chin up." The freak snickered. "We're almost done. Then, I'll leave your SOUL to rot in this emptiness for eternity. How's that sound?"

Chara just looked down, dejected and broken. Her body sagged against the darkness that bound her in this consciousness she was trapped in.

The freak laughed, leaving her all to her lonesome. The freak then continued moving through the Underground.

 _Later_

Heading through the CORE itself, the king's elite guard had stepped up to handle this freak. But, every single one had fallen to the gun the freak had, having taken it from an empty alleyway.

The freak continued through the CORE, reaching a room where sat a rectangle with buttons on it.

"Greetings, darling." The box said. "How are you doing today?"

The freak walked through, standing in front of the box.

"Looks like you've made a mess." The box said. "Unfortunately for you, I was made to handle pesky human wannabes like you."

The box exploded in a flash of light, revealing a humanoid robot with an arm cannon and wings. They aimed the gun at the freak.

"Burn, darling." The robot said, firing. However, the human dodged, running around and rushing for the robot, smashing them into pieces with the frying pan and shooting them with the gun she'd picked up.

"Looks like you're ready for the scrap heap instead." The freak snickered, walking past. Chara was shocked. Everything that had gone against this freak had failed… every single thing. The Dust of the monsters now speckled her face, making her more hideous than before.

The freak walked into the area of New Home, walking slowly through the castle.

All the time, Chara kept seeing that Flower keep appearing, speaking as if it knew her… not the freak, Chara herself.

The freak walked into Chara's old house, stopping to take a powerful knife that Chara had been given as well as Chara's locket.

"Give that back." Chara said. "It… isn't yours."

"I'm well aware." The freak smirked, putting it on and feeling the SOUL energy run through it.

Chara continued to feel a strange feeling as the flower kept appearing. Eventually, the flower stopped appearing, seemingly becoming afraid as the freak made it to what the monsters aptly called "Judgement Hall". Standing in the middle was the skeleton from earlier, Sans. Chara immediately felt chills run down her spine as he stared at the freak, pupilless eyes staring into their very SOUL.

"It's a beautiful day outside," The skeleton said in a voice that immediately made Chara curl up into a ball. The freak felt Chara's fear and her eyes narrowed at the skeleton.

"Birds are singing," Sans said, a slight, blue glow coming out of his eye as he looked at the freak. "Flowers are blooming. Kids like you…"

Immediately, the freak was impaled with bones and blasted by a monster that had the skeleton of a dragon.

"Should be burning in hell." Sans walked towards the freak, his eye flaming with a blue glow that ignited a powerful fear in Chara's heart. The freak stood up, cracking her neck as she ran towards the comedian, slashing with the knife.

Sans dodged it with a speed that managed to surprise Chara. Immediately more bones impaled the freak as she was thrown around the room like a pinball. Black fluid that could have been mistaken for blood burst from the freak's mouth, dropping onto the ground.

"Seems I was right," Sans said, creating a cage of bones. "You're not human after all."

Bones shot up, stabbing through the freak. Chara was dragged, screaming in horrific pain, into the blackness. The freak walked up to her, smirking.

"Looks like I'm going to need more of your SOUL after all." She said, grabbing Chara's chest and ripping out Chara's SOUL.

Immediately, Chara felt drained, pain shooting through her chest. She didn't think she could feel more pain than before. Immediately, they were back in the Judgement Hall, Sans having a surprised look on his face.

"Seems you can do some neat tricks." Sans chuckled, summoning a hoarde of the dragon skulls. "Too bad it's over."

The freak and Sans continued to fight, Sans seeming to have the upper hand. Chara began to hope that he could actually put this freak down for good. However, she noticed that he began to slow down after a bit. She saw the freak manage to get a lucky strike on him. A red substance leaked from his chest, which truly confused Chara. It also leaked from his mouth.

"Welp," Sans said, seemingly not in pain. "I'm goin' to Grillby's. Paps, you want anything?"

He left, dust falling from his body as he teleported. The demon walked over to it, smirking at her victory. She continued walking into the other end of the Judgement Hall.

Chara gasped as she saw the demon enter the throne room. Standing there was a big monster that looked like Toriel; Asgore, Chara's father.

"No, please." Chara whispered softly, a new tear running down her face. "Please don't kill my dad."

Asgore turned around, looking at the demon.

"Hello there," He said. "I didn't see you there, little one."

Chara then realized that he didn't know this wasn't a monster. The Dust covering the demon had completely changed how she looked.

"A flower told me you'd be coming." Asgore said, Chara knowing the danger. Her father was powerful, but he had his guard down. "Odd… I've never seen a flower cry before."

Chara gave a shudder. The flower, who'd talked about killing mercilessly, was afraid of the demon that had bound her and tortured her with watching dozens, perhaps hundreds of monsters die. Chara let a tear fall down her face as she watched the demon approach Asgore.

"Now now," Asgore said as the demon pulled the knife. "There's always a better way for this. Perhaps we could talk? Over a cup of tea?"

A huge gash appeared in Asgore's chest as the demon attacked him.

"No!" Chara shouted weakly, her voice near gone. Just… like them… she was truly alone. Her father was all she had left.

"Why… you…" Asgore said before petals surrounded him, killing him and destroying his SOUL.

Chara's expression darkened in horror as the dreaded flower appeared, a pleading and scared look on his face.

"S-See," He said, shaking. "I didn't betray you. I-It's okay. W-We can go back to how it was, right? J-Just us? R-Right, Ch-Chara?"

Chara looked up, confused as to how this flower knew her name… then remembering she was once hailed as the princess of the Underground. But… she didn't know any flower monsters…

The flower's face shifted to a face that immediately caused Chara's own face to turn to an expression of true horror. Flowey's face became _his_ face. Chara's gaze was transfixed on it as tears rolled down her face as well as the flower's.

"Please don't kill me," The flower begged with _his_ face, _his_ voice.

Chara immediately saw the demon's hand move to the knife.

"No, please don't" She begged with fervor. "Please don't kill him. Please!"

As she saw the knife slice the flower, Chara let out a scream that would have been heard clear to the Ruins.

"ASRIEL!" She let out a wail as her bonds shattered, letting her fall to the ground, a waterfall of tears streaming down her face as she let her voice out to the blackness, crying over the second loss of her brother.

She felt the blackness grab her again, but this time it seemed to become one with her, turning her tears to a darker black, allowing her to feel a strength she'd never felt before.

The demon continued to walk forward heading towards the barrier to leave the empty world.

However, in front of her appeared a floating, ghostly yet living figure, the figure of Chara.

"Greetings," Chara said in a voice to match the demon's own. The demon flinched, feeling Chara's HATRED. Her very SOUL within the demon pulsed. "I am Chara. Thank you. You've awakened me from death. You've given me a new life."

The demon held the knife towards Chara, who smacked it away, punching through the demon's chest. She ripped out her SOUL from the demon's chest, taking the locket as well.

"These are mine." She said, grabbing the demon by the throat. "You've killed all of the people I ever cared about. Now, it's your turn. But, I'll give you a choice. You can join me or die."

"I'll never join you." The demon said.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Chara said, black goop leaking from her eyes as an evil grin crossed her lips. "Who said you were the one in control?"

With that, Chara punched the demon, the blackness lashing out and crushing her and cutting her into pieces before pulling her into Chara.

Chara took her SOUL, opening the locket Asriel had given her. Inside were two pictures: one of Chara and Asriel hugging each other and one of Asriel, Chara, and their parents along with Undyne. She placed her SOUL inside the locket, closing it and putting it around her neck.

"Right where it belongs." She sniffled, her sadness reigniting.

Chara gave out another wail for her fallen brother, Asriel, more black goop leaking down her face as she cried. She grabbed at the blackness around her, tearing it and throwing it aside, leaving only the broken, crying, sixteen year old girl that had died in the first place.

She curled up in a ball, sobbing human tears. She wished she could just wake up from her nightmare, just go back to being dead even. She wished she could fix all of this, just change everything and leave this void that was left.

Suddenly, there was a bright orange light shining on her. She looked up to see what looked like a button. It was an orange rectangle and it said RESET on it. Chara stood up, wiping her tears and looking at the button.

"RESET?" She said to herself. "Could I… Could I?"

She reached out almost timidly, touching the button. A flash of white light and…

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoy. If you readers want me to continue this with Chara leading a neutral/pacifist run, let me know. I wouldn't mind continuing this. That's why I left it open-ended.

So, this was an idea I had when I was explaining Undertale to my cousin. I tried to write this well. I know I skimped out on fights, but this wasn't about them in the first place. This was a oneshot idea... though I actually expected it to be much shorter...


	2. Field of Flowers

Chapter One: Field of Flowers

Chara woke up, rubbing her head. She blinked her eyes at the blackness, seeing the light coming down on her.

"Where… what happened?" She mumbled, looking up. "Last thing I remember was… ASRIEL!"

She sat up with a jolt, her head feeling as if knives were shoved into it. She clutched her head, crying out in pain as her memories themselves seemed to be jumbled up. She had seen her brother, but she couldn't remember where…

"What was I doing?" Chara asked herself, looking up. "And… why am I in the Ruins? Didn't we die in the castle? Did mom or dad bury me here? But… why am I on these flowers instead of under them? I should probably get up… best find out what's happened since we died… but… how long has it been? And… how did I come back?"

She leaned over to push herself into a standing position, but fell flat on her face, feeling that familiar tingling in her legs.

"Looks like I should wait for my legs to wake up…" She muttered, rubbing them until they felt normal again. She managed to push herself into a standing position, a little wobbly, but nonetheless still standing. She walked, rather stumbled, over to the doorway that led into the rest of the Ruins.

She panted, leaning on it, physically drained by the simple action of moving to the door. She really hoped this didn't mean her body had severely atrophied (a word she only knew the meaning of because her mom had insisted she learn schooling). It was too chilly to take off her clothes to look, however, as the Ruins had both the top of a mountain and being next to a consistently snowy place to give it temperatures.

Chara waited until she had regained some more strength before continuing to walk into the Ruins.

She made it into the next room, noticing a singular flower pop up into view. It had a smiling face, which struck her as odd… yet familiar. But, as she tried to think on it, her head hurt. The pain drove her to her knees, causing her to tear up and hiss at the pain.

The flower moved back and forth as if there were a breeze, simply looking at Chara with an unreadable expression. When the pain in Chara's head finally died down, she looked at the flower.

"Howdy!" It said, immediately making Chara have memories of her dad, which didn't hurt her head for some reason… perhaps memories before her death were less painful…

"Uh, howdy." Chara said, sitting cross legged because she was too tired to stand.

"I'm Flowey." The flower said. "Flowey the flower."

"I hope my dad didn't name you." Chara sighed. "He's horrible with names."

"Well…" The flower paused, looking Chara over. "Here in the Underground, we all share LV."

Chara was confused at this. She knew what the monsters called LV. It was hammered into her (gently) from a young age. She had often been told she had a higher than wanted level simply because she got into fights as a kid. She didn't kill monsters, however, but when it came to things like sticking up for her brother or sparring with Undyne, she was more than willing to throw down. But, that begged the question of why monsters shared it now.

"What does LV stand for?" Flowey asked, the smile still on his face. "Why LOVE of course."

Chara was still confused as to where this was going. The flower was clearly not telling her everything. She, however, was in no position to move much in her weakened state. She wasn't exactly a superhuman individual, but she could still keep pace with some of the stronger monsters in the Underground.

She watched as several white seed-like spheres began to float up from around from the flower. They spun around, in an almost mesmerizing way. Chara couldn't take her eyes off of them, partially out of suspicion and partially out of curiosity.

"Go ahead, catch them." Flowey laughed, the petals heading towards her. Chara also noticed that her SOUL had emerged, pulling the locket with it, which the flower took notice of. One of the petals neared her SOUL, hitting it. Chara gave a shriek of pain as she felt it tear through her SOUL, sending her back from the pain. She felt a searing pain as the flower began to laugh, his face taking on a distorted version of itself.

"You IDIOT!" He laughed. "In this world, it's kill or be killed! Someone with your LV should get that by now, Chara!"

"That's… that's not what the Underground is like." Chara said, clutching her SOUL as she sat back up. In her weakened state, that had done a great deal of damage to her SOUL, something she may not be able to recover from. It did not occur to her at the time tht the flower had spoken her name.

The flower created a ring of the seeds around her, causing it to close in. Chara covered her SOUL to try and protect it, but something else happened. She felt herself be rejuvenated. She listened as a fireball struck the flower, driving it into the ground.

"Oh dear," A voice that cause Chara to tear up as she looked up from her curled up position to see a tall, goat like monster. She wore a purple robe with the legendary Delta Rune symbol on the front.

"M-Mom." Chara whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"I see another one has fallen down." She walked over to Chara.

Chara kept her head down and clenched her eyes shut, seeing images of her mother's corpse turning to dust, frightening images from some horrible nightmare she could barely remember. She flinched when she felt the arms that were always there for a hug, always open, always inviting… far moreso than the human that had birthed her.

"Come, my child." Toriel said. "It is alright. That flower cannot harm you anymore. I will take you to my home where we can get you all warm and cozy. I am Toriel, caretaker of these Ruins. Do you have a name, my child?"

Chara said nothing, allowing herself to be helped up as she let her long hair flow over her face. Toriel looked at her clothing with an odd look, but Chara figured she knew the look already; it was the look of recognition.

"I suppose you do not have to tell me right now," Toriel said kindly. "You remind me a lot of my own daughter when she first fell down. She was so quiet and hurt, but she seemed to get along well with my son… I miss them both."

At the mention of Asriel, more tears fell down Chara's face as she held onto Toriel. She was surprised the elderly monster hadn't just called her Chara in the first place.

"At first, I thought you were Chara," Toriel sighed. "But… she's been dead for a while. She couldn't have come back, I suppose. But, I guess she's with her brother. I suppose you and her wouldn't have gotten on well. She once told me that there was only one human that she ever got on with… but, she didn't want to talk about it more. But, everyone can change, I guess."

Chara's mind flashed back to when she knew of that one human… such a sweet child… like to flirt more than anything else… always in that blue sweater… some thought she and Chara were siblings at one point… then… well, it didn't matter at this point. Chara made her choice after the humans made theirs.

"What… happened here?" Chara asked, looking up. Her hair was a bit wild, covering her face, but giving her a better view.

"The Underground isn't like it once was," Toriel said. "Once my children died, it became a little more violent, bit by bit. It's been about twenty years since then."

"Twenty years?" Chara asked, looking around. "I… I wonder what else has happened."

"It doesn't matter." Toriel pat her. "You may live in the Ruins with me."

"But… don't you live in the palace?" Chara asked, confusion in her voice.

"That… is not a story for right now," Toriel sighed. "I won't ask you to pity me over it. Now, come. I shall take you and make you a delicious pie. You shall love it, I promise."

Chara wanted to ask some more questions, but Toriel seemed to not want to answer any. Chara was surprised that she wasn't throwing her arms around her, hugging her and telling her not to worry. In fact… she seemed to not recognize her at all. Chara wanted to tell her, but she was afraid of how Toriel would react, what with her being alive and Asriel gone… all her fear of the humans paled in comparison to the fear of Toriel's hatred. She couldn't stomach that. If it happened, she might just go through with what she had tried when she was a child…

"My child," Toriel said, patting Chara's shoulder. "I have a simple task for you to do."

Chara looked at her, her face still hidden by her hair.

"Please walk to the end of the hall." Toriel said. "I want to see if you can do it without my support."

Chara, deciding to follow her instructions, nodded as Toriel walked ahead. She walked, staggering a little due to still being weak form waking up from whatever nightmare she had while she was dead as well as that flower having pierced her SOUL. Once she made it to the other side, she collapsed into Toriel's arms.

"It is alright, my child." She said. "I'm sorry I expected too much of you. You did commendably, though."

"Thanks…" Chara said before passing out in her mother's arms.

 _Later_

Chara's nose wrinkled in her sleep as she began to react to a smell in the room. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was certainly a smell that triggered her nostalgia. She turned over in her bed, falling out of it with a loud THUD.

She pushed herself onto her elbows, groaning in pain. She still hadn't fully recovered from that attack. What the hell did that flower do to her SOUL? She had taken way worse than that before she had died. Just how much had dying weakened her? Or… perhaps there was something else going on.

She looked over to where the smell was coming from, seeing a piece of pie. Chara pulled herself over to it, taking the fork that she had and ate the pie. Immediately, she felt strength running through her, giving her energy. She weakly stood, feeling her legs become a little stronger.

Staggering over to the door like a drunk, she made it over to it. She managed to make it to the table, where Toriel was sitting and drinking coffee.

"Hello, my child," Toriel said with a smile. "Did you enjoy your pie?"

"Yeah…" Chara said.

"Is there something else you want?" Toriel asked her.

"Chocolate?" Chara asked, Toriel's expression pausing for a minute as she looked at the sixteen year old.

"Y-Yes," Toriel nodded, getting up. "But… may I see your eyes?"

"What?" Chara asked. "O… Okay."

She brushed the hair from her eyes, showing the crimson orbs that were pretty much unique to her. Toriel gasped, taking a hold of her chest and standing.

"I… I'll bring you that chocolate." She said with a forced smile.

"Can I tell you something?" Chara asked, not wanting to keep Toriel in the dark anymore. "I… I messed up."

"It is alright, my child." Toriel said, returning with the promised chocolate. "Everyone makes mistakes at one point in their life. What defines them is how they learn from them. How do you learn from yours?"

"I get both me and my brother killed…" Chara mumbled, beginning to eat the chocolate.

"That's a bit… extreme," Toriel said, pausing as a strange familiarity beyond this child's clothing and hair struck her.

"I was why the only human I ever cared about was killed," Chara said, staggering to a stand and turning to face Toriel. "I got me and my brother, your son, killed all because I couldn't get over my fear and hatred. How isn't that extreme?"

"Ch-Chara?" Toriel gasped as her eyes widened. Chara looked down, pulling the locket from her shirt.

"It was my fault Asriel's dead." She said as the tears incessantly came down her face. Immediately, those strong arms that had always been there pulled her into a strong hug, holding her close.

"Oh, my child," Toriel said, shedding some tears of her own. "It's alright. Mom is here for you. I still love you. I always have and I always will."

Chara wrapped her arms around her mother, sobbing into her chest as Toriel held her close, just like she had all those years ago.

"I'm sorry I didn't recognize you at first, Chara." Toriel said with a heavy sigh. "I was trying to ignore your looks because I didn't want to get my hopes up for nothing."

"I didn't tell you because I was afraid of what you'd think of me." Chara said, sniffling. "I… I couldn't take another mother rejecting me."

"You know I'd never do that." Toriel said, running her furry fingers through Chara's hair. "You're my special little angel. It mattered not that you weren't my child."

"I-I know." Chara said, leaning into Toriel some more. "But… there's some things I need to know."

"Like what, my child?" Toriel asked.

"Why are you here?" Chara asked, wiping her eyes on her sweater sleeve. "Instead of with dad?"

Toriel sighed sadly. She knew this question was coming and she had wanted to avoid it as best she could. But, obviously, since this was Chara, she'd want to ask the question.

"Well…" Toriel began. "When you and Asriel… died, he became wracked with grief. In his grief, he became angry."

"Did he… hurt you?" Chara asked, her fist instinctively clenching a little at the thought.

"No." Toriel said firmly. "Your father would never stoop to that level. He began collecting SOULs."

"But, monster SOULs don't stay after death." Chara said.

"You were only the first," Toriel said. Chara's eyes widened at her meaning. Asgore was collecting _human_ SOULs. As much as she didn't care about humans, it seemed odd that Asgore would do that.

"I… found this in the Ruins." Toriel held out a red ribbon to Chara. "It belonged to the first that fell after you. I would like you to take it."

Chara did so, nodding.

"You can use the mirror at the end of the hall to put it on if you like." Toriel said. "Or, I can put it on for you."

"Alright." Chara said. "Can… can you do it?"

"Of course, my child," Toriel tied the ribbon into Chara's hair, in the middle of the back of her hair.

"Thanks, mom." Chara said quietly.

"Let's see how it looks on you," Toriel said, Chara standing and staggering over to the mirror.

She looked at herself, noting her state. Her clothes were clean and nice, something she guaranteed wasn't the same as how she'd first woken up. She wore her favorite green and yellow sweater that she and Toriel had worked on together as well as a pair of red jeans. She wore boots because that's how she managed to keep her feet safe in the Underground. It was exactly what she was wearing when she had died.

Her hair was long and a bit wild and curly, moving over her breasts, its hue a dark brown with the smallest hints of red. Her eyes were crimson orbs, completely unnatural for a human, something she had been made very clear of on the surface. Of course, she was a pure human, so there was no trace of monster in her aside from the ten years' worth of monster food she'd ingested. Tied neatly into her hair was the red ribbon, making her look a slight bit younger.

Her skin was always that pale color with the rosy cheeks she always had hidden mostly by her hair.

"You still look beautiful, my child." Toriel pat her on the head. "But, I must ask: why are you walking like that?"

"I guess it's because I've been dead," Chara said. "My legs haven't been able to fully recover just yet."

"I understand," Toriel said. "I suppose you'll regain them. You're going to get better."

"I… I know." Chara said with some confidence. "I wanted to ask you something though."

"What is it, my child?" Toriel asked.

"Can I go visit dad?" Chara asked.

Toriel paused, contemplating her answer. After a minute, she smiled.

"You may," She said. "But, you must be careful. If I didn't recognize you, he might not either. And, he's been hunting human SOULs to destroy the barrier, so you'll have to be extra careful. Even Undyne might attack you."

"Undyne attacking me isn't anything new," Chara said with a little chuckle.

"With intent to kill," Toriel said.

"We'll have to see." Chara chuckled. "I'll stay safe, mom."

"You do that, sweetie." Toriel said, kissing her forehead. "The entrance to Snowdin is locked. But, it should open for you."

"Thanks," Chara nodded with a smile. "I'll come back mom. I promise."

"That's my girl." Toriel said. "You're… SOUL confident."

"Are you sure dad didn't break up with you?" Chara asked, which got a laugh from both of them.

"If he didn't break up with me when I was giving birth to Asriel and was pregnant, he'd never leave." Toriel said. "But, speaking of him, I'll give you a piece of pie to give to him. I don't like what he's doing, but since you're going, I suppose I can give him one piece."

"Thanks, mom," Chara said. "I'll head there now."

"Be safe, my child." Toriel said. "I know you're strong, but there may be things that you can't face."

"Right." Chara nodded. "I'll try my best to be safe."

"Good." Toriel ruffled her hair. "As much as I want you here, I know you want to see your father too. Just… come back."

"I will." Chara said.

"Well, I have some extra chocolates for you." Toriel said, retrieving five more bars from the fridge. "I'll get more for you later."

"Thanks." Chara said, smiling as she pocketed the chocolate. She walked through to the basement, heading out the door.

"Oh, Chara," Toriel walked over to her. "I got you this as well in case you needed me."

She handed Chara a phone, the red eyed human taking it.

"I'll call you every day," Toriel said. "So, you better pick up."

"Alright." Chara nodded. "I'll make sure to."

After the two shared one last hug, Chara began her slow, slightly staggering walk to the door of the Ruins.

She saw a ghost lying on the ground.

"Hey, Chara," the ghost said, unmoving. "Nice ribbon."

"Hey, Napstablook." Chara said. "How's your cousin?"

"Haven't seen them." Napstablook said. "But, I'm sure you will."

"I'm sure," Chara said, smiling and waving as the ghost smiled. "Say, how'd you recognize me?"

"I never forget someone like you," Napstablook said.

"Thanks," Chara chuckled. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," Napstablook disappeared.

As Chara continued walking, she saw that same flower from before, the one that gave her an unsettling… familiar feeling.

"Well, you aren't giving in yet," He said, his face shifting into a purely evil grin. "But, what happens if you meet a relentless killer? Will you give into your hatred that way?"

"Why do you want me to do that?" Chara asked, standing over him, the ribbon waving in her hair.

"Because," The flower rose up until it was at level with her face. Chara almost jumped back, but held her ground, taking a deep breath. "You're going to give into your sins."

The flower laughed evilly, burrowing back under the ground.

Chara sighed, continuing her walk through the underground until she reached the door with the Delta Rune. She touched it, pushing it open. With that, she walked out and into Snowdin.

Standing in the snow just outside the Ruins, she was immediately glad she had liked to wear sweaters. She cautiously walked, her legs beginning to be able to handle the weight of her now.

She saw something in the bush next to her, something that caught her eye. She looked, noticing a camera.

"Looks like Gaster's playing snoop again," Chara muttered. "Forgot to ask mom if he finished the Core yet. Oh well, I'll ask another local monster."

Immediately, she heard the sound of a twig snap. She turned to see a pair of oozing brown eyes and a mouth that looked like a void of sins.

Chara jumped back, landing on her ass. She looked at the ghostly, writhing mess that clawed its way over to her. It looked like a human female, but… grotesque.

"Looks like you're starting without me," The oozing freak said. "Pity. I wanted to consume their SOULs."

"Get away." Chara said, grabbing her head from the shooting pain in it. "I don't know what you are."

"Oh, poor Chara," The oozing freak said, putting a hand on Chara. Immediately, she gained images of monsters turning to dust in the Ruins. "I had suuuch a fun time with your SOUL. I want to have more fun."

"St-Stay away," Chara said. "Y-you can't be real."

"Oh, but I am." The freak said, making herself look like a strange version of Chara. "I'm as real as you."

Chara's anger began to boil at this mockery this freak was making.

"Why do you look like me?!" Chara demanded. "Why do you look like _Frisk_?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know, dear Chara?" The distorted human said, giving out a laugh. Chara put her hands over her ears at the sound of the laugh. It rang deep in the recesses of her mind, bringing nightmares to the forefront. Her mom turning to dust, her dad, Asriel, Undyne, everyone.

The freakish thing grabbed Chara around the waist, whispering sensually into her ear.

"I'm in your very mind." She said. "So, let's pick up where we left off before you wrested control from me."

"Why do you look like Frisk?" Chara demanded once again. Immediately, images of the one human Chara had ever cared about had rushed into her head like a flood. She looked so happy, even around the 'freak' everyone saw Chara as.

"Perhaps I'm your guilt at getting her killed." The distorted human said, leaning close enough Chara could feel her distorted breath.

"Shut up!" Chara exclaimed. "Get out of my head!"

Chara thrust her arms to the sides, her entire body erupting in fire as her SOUL began to beat furiously. The freak jumped back, fully surprised. The snow around Chara had melted as she dropped to her knees, sobbing into her hands.

"I just want to be here," Chara said. "With my family. With Asriel. Even Frisk. I… I want to be happy. Is that impossible for someone like me?"

When she'd finished crying, she looked around. The freak didn't seem to be anywhere in sight, so she cleaned herself up, looking at the ground.

"Did I… use magic?" She asked, gasping. "H-How?! I thought humans couldn't use magic anymore… maybe it's all that monster food… well, whatever. I should get going. I don't want to meet that… that thing again."

She began to walk through the snowy forest, looking around. She came up to a large log, noting it with amusement.

"Undyne would suplex this log." Chara mused. She walked past it, hearing a loud snap. She turned around, seeing the log snapped in half.

"Or she'd break it." Chara said. "But… she'd also be around to gloat about it… so… I should probably get to Snowdin. If my own mom doesn't recognize me at first, god only knows what else wouldn't."

She walked forward, coming to a bridge. It had odd bars on it that seemed quite wide.

"Hold up, human," A voice came from behind her. Chara turned to see a skeleton that went up to her breasts in a blue jacket and some slippers with athletic shorts. He had gloves on and had two white dots for eyes. His mouth was a grin that stretched across his face.

Chara took a step back as images flashed into her mind. Images of this skeleton and a glowing blue eye she felt an inexplicable fear towards.

"What's wrong, human?" He asked. "Don't you know how to greet a new pal?"

He held out his right hand, Chara looking back and forth from it to his face.

"Just a handshake," The skeleton said. "Nothin to bite ya."

"Never done one…" Chara muttered. It wasn't a lie, since she'd never had to do one.

"Uh…" the skeleton said. "Just take my hand in your right hand. And, make sure it's a nice firm grip."

Chara slowly did so, grabbing the hand in a quite firm grip. She was quite surprised to hear a fart sound coming from the skeleton's hand. The skeleton sputtered out in laughter.

"The ol' 'whoopee cushion in the hand' trick." He said, laughing still. "Gets 'em every time. Name's Sans"

Chara let out a nervous chuckle, said chuckle escalating to a laugh after a minute.

"You're Gaster's kid, aren't you?" She asked.

"How do you know about Gaster?" The pupils in the skeleton's eyes disappeared for a split second.

"I used to live here," Chara said. "That was his classic prank."

"Well, I suppose it's been a while since you left, human." Sans narrowed his eye sockets a little, looking Chara up and down. "I suppose you're headin' through."

"Something like that," Chara said, feeling a little more at ease.

"Well, my brother's just ahead," Sans said. "He's a human hunting fanatic. He's pretty much harmless. Say, you mind entertainin' him?"

"I'm kinda busy, but I guess I could take a detour." Chara said. "Kinda getting used to walking again anyway."

"Huh?" Sans asked.

"Long story," Chara said. "Perhaps I'll tell it someday."

"Eh, I suppose it's your call." Sans said. "Besides, I'm too lazy to try and capture you."

"I see," Chara said. "Well, I suppose I'll head through."

Chara turned and walked through the gate blocking her path.

While she walked, Sans put his hands in his pockets, a slight glow coming from his eye.

"So," He said, chuckling. "You came back after all, huh, kid? Guess I gotta keep an eye on you after all. Don't make me regret this, lady."

Chara walked to a small clearing where stood a lamp, a sentry station, a couple of icy rocks and… Sans?!

"How did…" Chara began to ask before the skeleton turned to see her.

"Heya," Sans said, a wide grin on his face. "You look like you've seen a skele-TON of questions."

" _If this isn't Gaster's relative than I should probably wear ear plugs for this trip,"_ Chara thought.

"Um… hi," Chara said, her hands in her pockets. "How did you get here?"

"I know a shortcut," Sans shrugged. "Anyway, my brother's comin' through here, so hide behind that conveniently shaped lamp."

"Uh… okay?" Chara did so, not really feeling any fear from the situation, but curiosity. His skull was shaped different than Sans' and he had on a strange armor of sorts, complete with red boots and gloves with a red scarf flowing behind it.

"SANS!" He said, getting an angry look on his skull. "WHY HAVE YOU NOT RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES?! YOU ARE ONCE AGAIN AVOIDING WORK!"

"I do work," Sans waved it off. "A skele-TON of work."

" **Let's kill him for such a bad joke!"** The freak shouted, hissing at Sans. Chara, more pissed off at the freak than fearful at this point, swung her fist at it.

" **Foolish human!"** The human shouted in laughter. **"I'm not physically here!"**

"Go away," Chara hissed.

" **You can't avoid me,"** The corrupted human grinned wide with its void like mouth. **"You may be able to distill me, but I will forever be a part of you. I'm not going anywhere and you know it. It's only a matter of time before your body is mine."**

"Get out of my head," Chara said in a harsh whisper, using her mental efforts to will the demon away. Surprisingly, it seemed to work. Chara, however, was unaware of Sans glancing over at her the entire time.

"SANS!" The taller skeleton shouted, bringing both Chara and Sans back to the situation at hand. "YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!"

"Sorry, Papyrus," Sans shrugged. "I was just checkin' out that lamp over there."

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR FOOLISH ANTICS, SANS!" Papyrus exclaimed, stomping his foot on the ground. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WANT TO BE A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD AND UNDYNE WON'T LET ME IF I DON'T HAVE A HUMAN TO PROVE IT!"

"Oh, the HUMAN-ity," Sans shrugged, an imaginary bah-dum-chh happening.

"THAT WAS THE WORST PUN YOU'VE EVER GIVEN!" Papyrus shouted.

"You're smilin' Sans chuckled.

"I AM AND I HATE IT." Papyrus said.

"Well, let's go fix those puzzles, alright bro?" Sans said. "I'll just grab some ketchup and meet you."

"YOU BETTER!" Papyrus said, walking out of the clearing.

"You can come on out, kid," Sans said, Chara walking over to him.

"I'm not a kid," She said. "I'm sixteen."

"Doesn't matter," Sans said. "But, that was my brother. Ain't he cool?"

"Not as cool as mine," Chara looked off into the distance.

"Uhh…" Sans decided not to push it further, being too lazy. "Well, you think you can entertain him for a bit longer?"

"As long as it gets me closer to where I'm going," Chara put her hands behind her head.

"I'm sure it will," Sans shrugged. "I'll catch up with you there."

"I'm sure," Chara said, walking forward. She couldn't ignore the feeling in her stomach that Sans wasn't one to take as lightly as he let on.

Eventually, she came to yet another clearing, this one branching off into two paths. She knew one of them was the path to "Photo Fishing", which she and Asriel weren't allowed to go to for whatever reason and the other led to Snowdin Town. She noticed a strange looking box off in the corner. She looked inside of it, seeing a pair of pink fingerless gloves with the word "TUFF" written on them.

"Sweet!" She grinned, taking them out. "I've always wanted a pair of these."

She put the gloves on, flexing her fingers and looking at the area. She sat down, taking a deep breath.

"Man, I can't believe it's different like this," Chara said, leaning on the box. "Killing humans… it just doesn't seem like them in this day and age. I guess me and Asriel's deaths were a big deal. I suppose I'll have to deal with monsters attacking me."

She began to drift off to sleep. After some time, she heard voices. She blinked her eyes open to see a small of monsters near her. Her SOUL emerged from the locket as Chara sensed the fighting intent. The monsters consisted of a Snowdrake, an Ice Cap, and some other, weird monster that Chara felt… oddly disgusted by.

"Looks like we gotta tell Undyne," The Snowdrake said. "She'll know what to do with this one. It's clearly human.

Chara tried to stand, but her legs were a bit asleep from the snow.

"I got this one, kiddos," Sans walked up. "You guys all run home. I'll get it to Undyne."

"Okay, Sans," The three said, running home.

"Thanks, I guess," Chara said, her SOUL retreating back into the locket.

"Snow problem," Sans grinned, eliciting a groan from Chara.

"Lemme help ya up." Sans held out his hand. Chara took it, getting a mischievous look on her face as she yanked the skeleton into the snow.

"What?" Sans asked, looking up at her while she stood.

"SNOW skin off my nose," Chara said, holding a hand out to him.

"Well, I guess you do got some good ones after all," Sans accepted the hand, Chara pulling him up.

"Yeah," Chara said. "Now, where's your brother? I'm in the mood for puzzles."

* * *

Next chapter, we shall see how Chara solves the puzzles. I'm curious as to how it will be as well. Also, I made a title pic. If you can't tell, it's Toriel and Chara in front of the mirror with that line from the mirror in New Home.

Note: I know I took some liberties. If you want to know why, please let me know and I'll explain.


	3. Bonetrousle

Chapter Two: Bonetrousle

Chara and Sans walked to another clearing, Sans suddenly not behind Chara anymore. Chara sighed, figuring that he wasn't going to be of much help. She walked by another sentry stand that looked different than Sans' stand. As she did so, she saw a scruffy dog monster that stood up.

"That smell…" He said. "It's moving. But, it smells like chocolate girl… but, it also smells like human. Must make sure moving thing never moves again."

Chara sighed as she felt her SOUL emerge for the battle. Doggo, the monster in question began to attack her with his light blue SOUL swords. Chara dodged, feeling one graze her arm. She gave a quick yelp of pain.

"Oh, right." She said, hissing a little. "His attacks only work if you move… time to pull an old trick on an old dog."

She snuck closer to Doggo, tackling the dog and petting him. Doggo barked and wiggled happily as the red eyed human smirked. She got up as he rolled around.

"It seems like invisible, unmoving chocolate girl pet me." Doggo said, standing as she walked away. "That can't be… man, I need some dog treats."

Chara glanced at the half-smoked pack of dog treats on the ground near the stand. She sighed, contemplating whether or not to take some for later. Of course, it was a bad habit, but she and Undyne had done far worse for their health, often dragging Asriel into it as well.

"Heya, kid?" Sans asked, leaning on a tree nearby. "Wanna know about blue attacks?"

"Little late, Sans," Chara said.

"Oh," Sans chuckled. "Well, my brother uses 'em, so be mindful."

"You make it sound like I'm going to get in a fight with him," Chara said.

Sans only shrugged, walking with her.

Chara and Sans walked into a clearing where Papyrus was waiting. Chara looked back, not seeing Sans there. She looked at Papyrus, seeing Sans next to him.

"How did…" Chara said aloud.

"I know a shortcut," Sans shrugged.

"This is one weird skeleton." Chara said to herself. "Though, he is quite intriguing…"

"HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed. "YOU MUST NOW SOLVE MY PUZZLE OF THE ELECTRIC ORB! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE CRAFTED SUCH AN INGENIOUS PUZZLE SO AS TO THWART YOU!"

"What do I do?" Chara asked, sticking her hands in her pockets.

"IT'S SIMPLE!" Papyrus said with a slightly wider grin than before. "YOU MUST WALK THROUGH THE PATH WHILE THIS ORB IN MY HAND WILL SHOCK YOU IF YOU STEP WRONG!"

"Uh, okay," Chara took a step, Papyrus giving a little yell as he was shocked.

"Uh, I think the human has to hold the orb," Sans shrugged.

"AH, I SEE!" Papyrus said, walking straight through the path, leaving his footprints. Chara didn't have the heart to tell him he'd ruined his own puzzle as she took the orb. She walked through his path, which seemed to make him happy.

"WOWEE, HUMAN!" He exclaimed. "THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE! YOU MUST COME FROM A LINE OF PUZZLE SOLVERS!"

"More like I was raised in the house of one," Chara chuckled, shrugging herself. Any trace of fear and unease she'd had before was now gone, replaced by her own enjoyment of the things that made the Underground so much better than the Surface.

"WELL, THE NEXT ONE SHALL STUMP YOU GOOD! NYEH HEH HEH" Papyrus said, holding a finger up as he ran off to tend to it.

"Well, he seems excited," Sans chuckled. "Hey, thanks, kid."

"Don't call me kid," Chara said, walking by. "Now, let's go get going on the rest of his puzzles."

"On it," Sans leaned against a tree, closing his eyes.

"I'm starting to think your brother may be right about you," Chara said, continuing to walk through.

She passed a plate of frozen spaghetti and a microwave, noticing that a note was written in the sauce. It said "Nyeh Heh Heh from the Great Papyrus, Human!".

"I thought he'd write in all caps," Chara mused, shrugging as she continued to walk. She eventually reached a stand that looked different than Sans.

"Wait… I know this stand." Chara sighed. "Not those two again. They already threatened to pulverize me and Azzy if we ever stole 'nose nuzzling champs' from them like mom and dad did… of course, *smirk* I wouldn't mind nuzzling Azzy's nose some more… But, I cant."

Chara sighed sadly, knowing she'd never get the chance.

As she walked by, two large dogs blocked her path.

"Can I go through?" Chara asked.

"You smell like a human," The male said. "That smell makes us want to eliminate you!"

"A human and a monster almost stole nose nuzzling championship from us once!" The female said. "We won't let it happen this time!"

"You guys really need to let that grudge go," Chara dodged, her SOUL barely missing an ax. "I mean, we were kids."

"Kids or no," The male, Dogamy swung his ax at Chara, who dodged, slipping on the snow and falling in the muddy snow. "One almost took it."

"This is a little extreme for losing a contest that mom and dad won every year anyway." Chara said.

"Wait, Dogamy," Dogaressa, the female, said. "This one now smells like a puppy."

"Oh no!" Dogamy shouted upon re-smelling Chara. Chara just pet the two, chuckling.

"You're fine," She said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go see my dad."

She walked over to a puzzle involving Xs and Os. She stepped on both Xs and turned them.

"EXCELLENT, HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT BETTER MYSELF! EXCEPT I COULD SINCE I'M THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

"Well, I'm sure there can't be any harder ones," Chara mused, continuing to walk a ways behind the nearly giddy skeleton.

The sixteen year old groaned as she found (and had to solve) two more. Coming upon the two in a small clearing, she noticed a piece of paper in the middle. Picking it up, she noticed it was a word search.

"Is… this the puzzle?" She asked. "I saw harder ones in Azzy's coloring books."

"SANS!" Papyrus exclaimed. "WHAT IS THAT?! IT SEEMS THE HUMAN FOUND IT TOO EASY!"

"Guess I should have used today's crossword," Sans chuckled.

"CROSSWORD?!" Papyrus exclaimed. "JUNIOR JUMBLE IS THE HARDEST!"

"Actually, this is neither," Chara said. "It's a word search. But, yeah, Jumble's harder. Now, how about we move on? I'm kinda cold and muddy and I know there's an inn in Snowdin."

"No worries," Sans said. "I know a shortcut."

"How is—" Chara felt herself be yanked over with Sans and suddenly in Snowdin. Immediately, nausea overcame her, causing her to drop to her knees and vomit into the snow next to the sign. Her face turned pale, then green to match her sweater.

"What the *hurl* hell did you do?" She asked, trying to glare at him betwixt her vomiting.

"Took a shortcut," Sans chuckled. "That way, we beat Papyrus here. Also, thanks for agreein' with him. It made him so happy."

"Why would anyone want to upset him?" Chara rubbed her mouth.

"Dunno," Sans said, his pupils disappearing. "But if they did, they'd have a bad time."

"Uh huh," Chara said. "Well, I'm going to go sleep and eat some chocolate… a lot of chocolate. I'll see you two later."

"See ya, kid," Sans chuckled, giving a wave as he leaned against the sign and fell asleep.

Chara walked into the Shop next to the Inn, the owner seeing her.

"Hey," She said. "You look like shit. You okay there?"

"Been better," Chara held back the vomit that threatened to come back up. "You got anything chocolatey?"

"A human who likes chocolate, huh?" The owner said, her rabbit's ears twitching. "You sure you need something like that when you're in that state."

"I already ate all my mom gave to me," Chara said." I need something else to pick me up. I thrive on it."

"Yeesh," The store owner chuckled. "You sound like Asgore's brat. Course, she's been dead twenty years. I was a young rabbit when she first fell, so I don't remember that time much. But, I remember the sad day it was when both his brats died."

"It was…" Chara said with a pause.

"You don't look old enough to have even been born then," The shop owner said.

"Long story," Chara said. "But, back to the question: got any chocolate?"

"These Cinnamon Bunnies have a chocolate variety," The shop owner said, giving Chara several. "Just promise not to thrown 'em back up onto my floor."

Chara paid with the G she had in her pocket (apparently, she'd had some on her when she'd died), walking out of the store with a wave. She walked into the inn next door, paying for a room.

"Sleep well," The innkeeper said. "You look like you could use it."

"Thanks *hurk*," Chara said, feeling the nausea return. "I sure do."

She went upstairs, collapsing on the bed after she'd taken off her wet clothes and boots. She took a glance at the mirror in the room, noticing that the face in the mirror wasn't hers.

"Boo!" the face in the mirror, who distorted into the freak harassing her earlier, said, startling Chara, who fell off the bed. She reached for the wastebasket, vomiting into it.

"Looks like someone got more than they bargained for." The freak laughed. "Still not regretting wrenching control from me?"

"You know, you're a lot easier to ignore now," Chara mumbled into the trash can.

"Well, I suppose I've been going easy on you," The freak giggled. "Either that or you're just too confident with your control. I should fix that."

"Good luck," Chara said, her face returning to its normal shade.

"I'll get your SOUL one day," The human giggled. "Consider it payback."

"Payback?" Chara glanced up at the shadowy and distorted mass that looked like a human. "What are you talking about? Payback for me taking _my_ SOUL back?"

"You know what I mean," The shape emerged from the mirror, getting right in Chara's. "I'm your greatest _sin_ , Chara."

"I've committed no sins," Chara said. "None that warrant you anyway."

"Haven't you?" The shape tilted her head, shifting to resemble a human Chara knew well, clothing and all. "You know what you did, Chara. You know WHY I'M HERE!"

"You're not Frisk!" Chara shouted, nausea forgotten as she fought to get to a standing position. "Frisk isn't like you! You're just a freak who stole my SOUL!"

"Funny how the tables turned," The shape smirked, shifting to a sitting position. "You took Frisk's SOUL and now I've taken yours."

"I didn't take Frisk's SOUL!" Chara shouted, her eyes becoming misty. "Shut up!"

"Isn't being the reason someone dies the same as killing them yourself?" The shape looked at Chara. "Just like Frisk, just like As—"

"SHUT UP!" Chara shouted in anger, her body igniting in flames as hot, burning tears dropped from her eyes onto the ground, steaming as they hit. The wind that was created from the sudden ignition of flames blew everything down in the room or burned it.

Chara clenched her eyes shut, trying to will the shape away.

A knock on the door happened a few minutes later.

"Is everything alright in there?" The innkeeper asked, using her key to open the door. She saw Chara curled into a ball, sobbing into her knees and the rom looking like fire magic had ripped through it. She walked over to the sixteen year old, lifting her onto the bed with the aid of her magic.

"Alright then," She shut the door, locking it. "How about you tell me your troubles?"

Chara looked at her, her eyes puffy with tears. The innkeeper smiled softly, holding her.

"You look like you're carryin' some baggage," She said. "You wanna talk?"

"You'll probably think of me as a monster," Chara said, looking down. "And not like the good kind."

"Human or no, you're still someone who needs a shoulder sometimes." The innkeeper said. "I got several children. I'm used to bein' that. Same with the destruction. Don't worry about it."

"It's… it's probably a much less pleasant story than your kids have," Chara said.

"Well, I suppose that may be true," The innkeeper said. "But, you can't have had anything that would make you inconsolable. I mean, apparently, Asgore's human child had a disgusting past and yet she found comfort and happiness with the Dreemurr family before she died. I think you could do the same. Of course, there's still the whole 'killing you for your SOUL' thing, but I do think you can find solace."

"Thanks," Chara said, giving a weak chuckle. "I guess you're right. But, I don't think you want to know my past."

"And, I won't force you," The innkeeper said. "But, it's my motherly instinct to want you to be okay."

"Thank you…" Chara said. "I think I'd like to sleep now. I'm tired still."

"Alright," The innkeeper said. "I'll leave you to it."

She got up, patting Chara once on the head and leaving, shutting the door behind her. Chara got under the covers, falling into a restless and fitful sleep.

She tossed and turned, the room heating up. Sweat poured off of her as she suffered in her nightmares. She saw humans, weapons and sticks as they neared her. She saw the older human, the one she would call 'the exception' to the hatred of humanity stand in between them and her, unafraid of their threats and of the 'red eyed demon child'. Images of her never left Chara's mind, never left her. She… she could honestly say she loved her, even at the young age she was. She had ten years on Chara, but Chara considered her closer than any sibling she could have. She saw her smiling, flirtatious face, felt her arms around her, drying her tears. Then it shifted to a broken, dying variant. The last living moments she saw of her. She could still see her mouth the words she had never truly taken to heart. "Don't hate", she said. She watched as she saw them throw her body in a hole. She felt a crushing lonliness that only one other person could break.

Images of the distorted human that dared to take a form like Frisk's plagued her mind as she slaughtered the whole of the Underground. The only two beings who even stood a chance were Sans and Undyne, but even they fell to this onslaught. Lastly, the most painful death of all was the person she'd remembered most, standing there and looking at her, only to be slaughtered.

"ASRIEL!" She jolted up, her eye burning with fire magic as it exploded out from her body, tears following suit.

The innkeeper burst into the room, sitting down next to her and wrapping her arms around her soothingly.

"It's alright," She said. "It's okay. It was just a nightmare."

"I… Asriel… dead…" Chara said in a panicked shout, struggling against the innkeeper. The innkeeper wouldn't have been able to hold the insanely strong Chara were she not in such a blind panic. Fire magic was burning the air, making it suffocating in the room.

"It's alright," the innkeeper said. "I don't know how you know the prince considering he and the princess have been dead for years, but he can't hurt you."

"You don't understand," Chara said once she'd calmed down to sobs. "I'm the reason he's dead in the first place."

"Wait… princess Chara?" The innkeeper asked. "How are you alive? I thought you looked familiar, but you're supposed to be dead."

"I don't know," Chara said. "I woke up in the Ruins… please don't tell my dad. I just… I want to see him on my terms."

"My lips are sealed, my lady," The innkeeper said. "But, I think you should get some more sleep. The nightmares are gone and they won't come back."

Chara nodded, falling back asleep.

The next morning, she woke up, hungry for chocolate. She reached over to her bag, beginning to eat the food she loved so much.

After she'd eaten all of the Cinnamon Bunnies she had bought, she walked downstairs, looking at her phone. The innkeeper waved at her.

"Bye, human," She said. "I hope you find peace. And, be careful out there."

"Thank you," Chara said, looking back. "I'll be sure to."

She walked through Snowdin, heading straight for the end. She noticed a missed call from Toriel. She picked it up, calling her.

"Hey, mom," Chara said. "How are you?"

"Hello, my child." Toriel said. "I am doing well. How are you?"

"Apparently, I can't handle teleportation magic well," Chara shuddered. "Met a comedian skeleton you'd probably get along with."

"I see," Toriel laughed. "I've met one myself. But, where are you?"

"Snowdin," Chara said. "I'm almost to Waterfall. I'm gonna make a detour to Undyne's before I head to dad's."

"Alright, my sweet." Toriel said. "Be safe. And, make sure you don't water-fall down in your journeys."

"Goodbye, mom," Chara laughed, hanging up.

At the end, in the fog, she could just barely make out Papyrus.

"HUMAN!" Papyrus said, Chara watched as the fog cleared some to reveal the tall skeleton. "I HAVE WAITED AND NOW I SHALL CAPTURE YOU! YOU'LL BE SENT TO THE CAPITAL WHERE… I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN! BUT, UNDYNE WILL THINK I'M GREAT AND LET ME INTO THE ROYAL GUARD!"

Chara sighed, walking forward.

"Do we have to fight?" Chara asked. "I'd rather just walk there myself."

"SORRY, HUMAN! Papyrus said. "I CANNOT ALLOW THAT!"

"I thought not," Chara sighed as her SOUL emerged from her locket. "Well, let's get this over with."

Papyrus began to let loose a volley of light blue magic. Chara tilted her head, surprised at the attack. Suddenly, she felt her body grow heavy as her SOUL changed to a dark blue color.

"The hell?" Chara managed to get out before her face hit the snow. She pushed herself to a standing position, shaking a lot.

"IT'S YOUR TURN, HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed.

"Seems this is a game to him," Chara chuckled. "Now… how do I fight him? I don't want to hurt him… What would Frisk do?"

Immediately, an image of Frisk giving a seductive smirk and blowing a kiss pooed into her head.

"Bad idea, bad idea!" Chara shook her head to remove the quite provocative image, blushing furiously. "Okay, new plan…"

"You, uh, have a nice battle body." Chara said.

"WHY THANK YOU, HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed. "WAIT, THAT COMPLIMENT… YOU'RE FLIRTING WITH ME, AREN'T YOU?!"

"What?!" Chara exclaimed, the image of Frisk popping back into her mind.

"DO NOT WORRY, HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed. "AFTER I CAPTURE YOU, WE CAN GO ON A DATE!"

"Nice plan there," The shape snickered from next to Chara's ear. "I couldn't have come up with a better one myself. Oh, wait, I did."

"Stop pretending to be Frisk," Chara growled. "You're NOT Frisk."

"Don't keep lying to yourself," the shape tilted her head. "You know the truth to this."

"Frisk died ten years before I did," Chara said. "You're not Frisk."

"You stayed dead for twenty years before I came along," The shape said, smirking slyly. "You don't think that's odd?"

"I'll deal with you, later," Chara said, growling once again. The shape snickered, disappearing. Chara sighed. That thing was quite a roller coaster of Chara's motions. One minute, she was angry, the next she was tormented. Each time, though, Chara seemed to find out some odd things about the circumstances of her revival. The shapeless human seemed to be hiding things from her…

"HUMAN, I'M GOING TO GO STRAIGHT TO MY SPECIAL ATTACK!" Papyrus shouted. He summoned a powerful looking bone, but all of a sudden, a dog ran over and grabbed it, running into Snowdin.

"STUPID DOG!" Papyrus exclaimed in anger. "THAT WAS MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"

"How about… we just go on that date?" Chara asked, deciding the best way to do this was to not fight at all. She figured he could take a few blows, but she really didn't want to fight him.

"HUMAN!" Papyrus said, pointing at Chara. "THAT IS AN INTERESTING IDEA!"

"Oh, good," Chara sighed in relief. She looked back to see Sans.

"I see you over there!" She called. "You're not doing a very good job of hiding."

"That's cuz I'm on break," Sans chuckled.

"SANS!" Papyrus exclaimed. "YOU LAZY BONES! HOW CAN YOU TAKE SO MANY BREAKS!? YOU ARE ON GUARD WHILE I GO ON A DATE!"

"Eh, sure bro," Sans shrugged, falling asleep.

"I COULDN'T BEAR TO HIT SOMEONE WHO HAS A CRUSH ON I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" Papyrus said, posing dramatically.

"Uh, thanks?" Chara said, sighing once again.

"WELL, WE MUST GO TO A PLACE I SPEND ALMOST ALL MY TIME IN!" Papyrus said, pulling Chara along.

"Hey, wha—" Chara exclaimed before she was dragged along. She noticed her SOUL turned red again, retreating back into the locket.

Suddenly, they were at Papyrus' house. Papyrus led her in, standing in the living room.

"HOW DO YOU LIKE MY HOUSE, HUMAN?!" Papyrus exclaimed.

Chara looked around, noticing a pet rock on the table. She chuckled softly as she remembered how she had convinced Asriel that she could make a pet rock float, only to lose it in Waterfall's river. There was also a sock on the floor with an amusing trail of notes next to it.

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO START THE DATE?!" Papyrus exclaimed. "BUT, FIRST LET ME LOOK UP A DATING BOOK! THIS ONE WAS GIVEN TO ME BY UNDYNE. AND BY THAT, I MEAN I BORROWED IT WITHOUT ASKING SINCE SHE CLEARLY DOESN'T NEED HELP TO GET A DATE!"

" _Undyne dating?"_ Chara asked herself. " _I sense potential teasing material."_

"FIRST STEP!" Papyrus read. "YOU MUST UNDRESS AND—"

"Uh, I'll take that." Chara yanked the book from his hands, beginning to thumb through it. Her jaw dropped and her face turned red at some of the pictures and text in the book.

"Let's just… sit and talk." Chara said. "I am pretty sure that's a better way to date. We could have a meal and wear casual clothes."

"WOWEE HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed. "THAT IS A WONDERFUL IDEA! I JUST SO HAPPEN TO ALWAYS WEAR MY SPECIAL CLOTHING UNDER MY BATTLE BODY! I SHALL CHANGE IMMEDIATELY!"

He ran into his closet, bursting out in a tank top that said 'cool dude' with basketballs on his shoulders. The basketballs had sunglasses on them. He also wore gym shorts, but had left his gloves on. He wore a baseball cap as well.

"Uh, impressive." Chara said.

"OH NO A GENUINE COMPLIMENT!" Papyrus exclaimed. "YOUR DATING POWER IS INCREDIBLE."

"Uh, thanks?" Chara raised an eyebrow.

"WORRY NOT!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I SHALL OVERTAKE THIS DATE WITH MY OWN SPECIAL SOMETHING TO YOU!"

"Please tell me that isn't a euphemism." Chara said.

"SOMEWHERE ON ME IS A SPECIAL SURPRISE!" Papyrus said.

"Is it under your hat?" Chara asked.

"YOU… HAVE GUESSED IT!" Papyrus exclaimed, taking off his hat to reveal a plate of spaghetti. "HAVE SOME SPAGHETTI, HUMAN!"

"Uh, thanks." Chara took a bite, immediately beginning to regret it.

"I think I've had enough," She said. "It's just… too good."

Papyrus couldn't have grinned wider if he tried.

"HUMAN…" He said after a minute. "I'M SORRY, BUT I CAN'T KEEP LYING TO YOU."

"Huh?" Chara asked.

"I DON'T REALLY LOVE YOU LIKE THAT." Papyrus said. "I WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER AND HOPED I'D COME INTO MY FEELINGS NATURALLY."

"Oh thank god," Chara said. "I mean, uh, it's okay. I'll just go. We can still be friends."

She pat Papyrus on the head, heading out. As she left Snowdin, she saw Sans at another sentry stand.

"Hey, kiddo." He said. "Betcha didn't know I had two jobs."

"I'm surprised you have one," Chara leaned on the snow covered stand with a slight smirk.

"Ooh, scathing," Sans chuckled. "But, two jobs means twice as many legally required breaks."

"Do you even do the work of your first job?" Chara asked.

"Hey, not like I can get in trouble for taking a break," Sans shrugged. "Say, you wanna go to Grillby's?"

"I'm down for that," Chara said. "Best chocolate shakes in the Underground."

"That's the spirit," Sans said, walking out from the stand. "I know a shortcut."

"I don't think that's such a good I—" Chara couldn't even get the words out before she was in Grillby's. Immediately, she dropped to her knees, losing her lunch on the floor. The monsters in attendance all blanched at the odor and sight.

After Chara had finished emptying her stomach, she stood up in a wobbly fashion and wiped her mouth.

"Sorry about that, Grillby," She said apologetically to the man behind the bar, a fire elemental. "Teleportation magic never was good with me."

Grillby spoke in his native tongue.

"He says it's fi—" A monster near the bar said.

"I know what he said," Chara interrupted her as she grabbed a rag and cleaned up her mess. She made her way to the bench, noticing the dog guards and another, much larger one Chara knew as Greater Dog. The larger one walked over to Chara, panting.

"Well, looks like someone missed me while I was gone," She laughed, patting his head.

Grillby spoke to her in firespeak, crossing his arms.

"Hey, I know as much as you do on the matter." Chara shrugged. "Last thing I remember before I woke up was I was pushing daisies."

Grillby shrugged, speaking to her again before pouring a large chocolate milkshake.

"You know me so well," Chara grinned wide, sipping the drink as Greater Dog stayed slumped on her lap, tongue hanging out.

"Man, you sure get around, kid," Sans sat next to her. "What's your deal?"

"I told you," Chara said. "I lived here."

"I suppose that's your answer," Sans shrugged. "So, I got a question for ya."

"Shoot," Chara said, sipping her drink. Immediately, everyone else in the room froze besides her and Sans.

"You ever heard of a talking flower?" Sans asked.

"The echo flowers or that weird talking flower that attacked me when I woke up back in the Ruins?" Chara asked.

"Yeah, the Ech—wait, you know what I'm talking about?" Sans asked.

"Yeah," Chara said. "What do you know about it?"

"Papyrus tells me how a flower gives him words of advice and encouragement sometimes," Sans said. "I was thinkin' that maybe it was an Echo Flower… but you clearly don't take me as that naïve, do ya?"

"You clearly hide more than you let on," Chara said.

"Same to you, kid," A small blue glow came from Sans' left eye for a split second. "But, I guess everyone's entitled to their secrets."

"Watch this one," The shape of the distorted human slithered up to Chara and whispered into her ear. "He's dangerous."

"Go away," Chara growled to the shape.

"Got some voices in your head, kid?" Sans stared at Chara with his pupils gone. Chara shrugged, going back to her milkshake.

"I'll keep an eye out," Chara said. "Clearly the Underground's been better."

"That's another question," Sans said. "You surely know what it takes to exit the Underground. Yet, you're back. How?"

"I never left…" Chara said. "Well… I did once, but it was different."

"Care to go into it?" Sans asked.

"Not really," Chara said. "It wasn't exactly a high point in my life."

"Explain how you have magic then," Sans said. "I can tell you have some."

"Ten straight years of only magic food," Chara said. "Only explanation I have."

"I suppose it'll have to do," Sans said. "For now I guess."

"So, what's it been like in the past twenty years?" Chara asked. "Other than the six SOULs now in the care of my da—the king."

"A little darker," Sans shrugged. "But, I'm sure you know about that."

"Stop being cryptic," Chara said in a low growl. "I want to know what you're getting at."

"Too many things about you that don't sit right with me," Sans shrugged. "I guess we'll have to work it out."

"Yes," Chara said. "I'm no enemy of the monsters, despite being human."

"I guess," Sans said. "Well, I guess you haven't killed any monsters, so your statement's kinda true. Doesn't explain your LV."

"How can you see my LV?" Chara eyed him. "Only my parents and brother could see that."

"I just got a knack for it," Sans shrugged. "Care to explain?"

"I got it on the Surface," Chara said. "Comes with the territory."

"You're kinda odd," Sans chuckled. "But, hey, I like you, kid."

"Don't call me kid," Chara said. "Now, I'm gonna head through Waterfall."

"Be careful, kid," Sans chuckled as everyone began to move again. "Sure you don't want to take a shortcut?"

"I'll pass," Chara said as she got up and walked out. Grillby waved at her and she waved back.

"How do you know her?" Sans asked the fire elemental.

Grillby spoke to him in firespeak.

"Eh, fine, I'll learn it from her," Sans waved it off. "Kinda interesting, that one."

Grillby nodded as Sans left.

Chara continued her journey, heading to the entrance of Waterfall. As she did, she saw the white areas of Snowdin became more purplish and the air warmed up. It wasn't toasty, but it was certainly warmer.

She continued to walk through, walking by a door. She certainly didn't remember that before. She stopped at it, knocking at the door. She opened it, peeking inside. Inside was a single being made of blackness and had a white skull with cracks.

"Doctor Gaster?" Chara walked in, standing in front of the shape.

"You… remember me, princess Chara?" The shape looked down at her, leaning in.

"Of course," Chara said. "But… how do you remember me?"

"I could never forget a human such as yourself," The figure, Gaster, said, a distorted chuckle emerging from him. "You were such a tortured and poor SOUL, it was a wonder any good could exist in you at all. You were also the first human in millennia to show any potential in the ways of magic."

"It's the food," Chara said.

"Food alone can't bring about strong magic like yours," Gaster said, his skull changing shape slightly. "You are descended from a powerful mage, the mage of the Red SOUL. But, it was only when you began ingesting solely monster food did you unlock your long buried power."

"I see," Chara said. "What happened to you, though?"

"I fell into my own creation," Gaster said, chuckling again. "I just needed to get to the _CORE_ of the problem."

"That lazyass is definitely your relative," Chara sighed.

"Ah, you've met Sans," Gaster chuckled louder. "He is a chip off the old skull."

"Joy," Chara said with much sarcasm.

"But, back to you," Gaster said. "I can sense you have a visitor."

"A freak that has taken my SOUL," Chara said. "I got it back… but I don't remember any of it. I keep having nightmares about it though."

"So you do," Gaster nodded. "I suppose you know what this demon is."

"It claims to be Frisk," Chara growled.

"Ah, the one human you cared for," Gaster clasped his hands together. "Well, I suppose you'll have to confront this demon, whoever she may be."

"I have been," Chara said. "She keeps coming back."

"That is not true confrontation," Gaster said. "You are hiding from your problems like a coward. You must face it head on instead of pussing out."

If anyone other than Undyne, Doctor Gaster, her parents, or Asriel had said that, Chara would have clocked them. However, the Doctor was one of the few beings who truly understood how Chara thought and worked; was able to get to the core of her persona and help her truly understand herself.

"I guess you're right," Chara said, sighing. "I'll try."

"That's the spirit," Doctor Gaster gave his knowing smirk. "Now, come give old Uncle Gaster a hug. He's been quite 'bonely'."

"Despite that atrocious pun, I'll still hug you." Chara sighed, hugging the black shape. The skeleton's arms encircled her, the Doctor hugging her back.

"Can you leave here?" Chara asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Doctor Gaster said. "I'm actually surprised you could see the door here. But, I am capable of bringing you here, but perhaps only this once. I could feel you needed a little push is all."

"Oh," Chara said sadly. "Well, I'll always remember you."

"I know, child," Doctor Gaster said. "Now, go before it becomes dark. You wouldn't want to get lost in Waterfall again."

"I told you I wasn't lost," Chara whined a bit.

"Well, go on then," Doctor Gaster said. "Have your fun. But, I can tell in the near future you will have to confront almost all of your problems."

"I… I guess you're right," Chara said. "Well, I suppose I have to go. It was nice seeing you again, Doctor."

"You two, little one." Doctor Gaster smiled, waving as Chara closed the door, continuing into Waterfall. She noticed a little reptilian monster following her.

"Hey, you're goin' to see Undyne, aren't ya?" They asked. "Me too! But uh, don't tell my parents."

"You can follow me," Chara said. "But, if it gets dicey, you better run."

"Got it," The monster kid nodded with a grin. The two journeyed deeper into Waterfall.

* * *

Next chapter, we'll see the fated meeting between Chara and Undyne. How will this go? We'll see.

Also, I know it seems odd, but I'm also doing neutral as well as pacifist. I had too many character moments and ideas for the neutral run moments to pass up.

Also, if you guys want me to continue after the Pacifist ending, let me know because there are some ideas I could work with for the story.


	4. The Spear Battles the Demon

Chapter Three: The Spear Battles the Demon

Chara and the Monster Kid walked through Waterfall, Chara once again taking in all the scenery that befell her. The two of them walked past a cave with falling rocks that cascaded over a waterfall. Chara walked across the river, pulling Monster Kid along so he wouldn't get hit.

"Undyne's so cool, isn't she?" They grinned wide, hopping up and down.

"Yeah," Chara said. "She is."

As they walked through the tall grass that sometimes grew, Chara heard a conversation above them.

"UNDYNE!" Papyrus said. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE CAPTURED THE HUMAN… OF COURSE, I HAD TO LET HER GO BECAUSE SHE WAS HEADING FOR THE CASTLE, BUT I ALSO DIDN'T WANT TO LEAD ON THAT I HAD NONEXISTENT ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR HER."

Chara could easily hear the audible groan that came from Undyne, letting her know how she felt about the situation.

"Speaking of that," Undyne said. "Did you take my book?"

"YES!" Papyrus said with a nod. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAVE TAKEN THE BOOK. THE HUMAN SAID THAT I DID NOT NEED TO READ IT AND THEN TOOK IT. I BELIEVE THAT SHE SAID SHE WOULD RETURN IT TO YOU."

"Well, I'll just take it from her corpse." Undyne said.

"UNDYNE," Papyrus said. "DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS? I MEAN, THE HUMAN WASN'T CAUSING ANY TROUBLE AND—"

"They're all trouble," Undyne growled, slamming a magic spear into the ground. "Humans are a disgusting race that only takes from us. Not a single one of them has any good in them. They proved that when they killed Asriel and Chara as well as that friend of Chara's."

Chara immediately had flashes of Frisk and flashes of going to the surface with Asriel. Then, she saw her family's dust all around and gave a cry in pain as she dropped to her knees, clutching her head as she saw flashes of that _thing_ that was in her head going on another killing spree.

She could barely hear the sound of Undyne's armor clanking as she came over, spear raised. Monster Kid looked up at her, grinning. Undyne stood over the grass, looking down, but it was too tall to reveal the kneeling Chara.

"THAT SOUNDED LIKE THE HUMAN." Papyrus said. "I HOPE THAT SHE IS OKAY. SHE TALKED ABOUT BEING FRIENDS WITH YOU AND MEETING YOU AGAIN."

"The only human friend of mine has been dead twenty years," Undyne glared down into the grass. "Come on. I'll go guard the entrance to Hotland. You go back to Snowdin."

"I SHALL DO PROUD, UNDYNE!" Papyrus saluted and walked off. Undyne sighed, looking down at the grass again. That voice… spoke to something in her. But, she chose to ignore that fact and walk forward.

After Chara had recovered from her headache, Monster Kid looked at her in excitement.

"Did you see that?!" They exclaimed. "She looked right at you!"

"Clearly she didn't see me," Chara said. "But, still. I need to keep moving. This headache will go away as I do."

They continued to walk, Monster Kid running ahead to somewhere else. Chara came upon the echo flowers. She remembered Sans' conversation with her about a talking flower and shrugged as she walked through the area. Stopping by one, she heard one she was surprised that was still around. It was almost like it was permanently burned into the flower's memory.

"I have a wish," The voice said, Chara sitting in front of the flower and listening.

"What is it?" The second voice said, a voice so clear to Chara, it might as well have been her own.

"Don't laugh," The flower said.

"I won't." The second voice said.

"My wish is that we could all live on the surface with humanity," The first said.

"That's funny," The second said. "I had that same wish."

Chara sighed as she got up and left the room. She and Asriel had that same conversation. At this point, however, she wasn't sure if she really wanted the monsters to head to the surface. The humans were truly too cruel to warrant their cohabitation.

She continued walking, seeing the scribblings of a supposed scholar about the nature of SOULS and a drawing of a creature that resembled Asriel's form when he'd absorbed her SOUL.

"Maybe they'll find the last SOUL someday," Chara wiped her eyes. "For you, Asriel."

Coming up to a piano in a cave, she sighed and sat down, beginning to play a song she and Asriel had come up with. It clearly had the clarity of notes composed by two ten year olds, but Chara didn't care. They had even called it "Hopes and Dreams" because they were going to play it once monsters were on the surface.

Suddenly, a cave opened next to her, causing the sixteen year old to wander in. She knew there were rumors of caves, but couldn't understand this one. Inside was a legendary orb she'd heard stories about. Of course, Undyne had said it was a magic human artifact.

However, some random dog just ran in and took it, looking at Chara. Chara narrowed her eyes as it disappeared, leaving her to sigh and walk out.

Coming across a statue, she could hear the music from it and realized it was _their_ song ,the one she had just played. After about ten minutes, she kept walking.

Eventually, Monster Kid joined her, telling a story about her dad coming to school. Chara had neglected to mention her relation to Asgore, however, since she really didn't want Monster's praise. She continued, making it to the bridge that connected Waterfall to its only town. However, before she could do anything, however, Undyne stood there.

"Undyne," Chara said before a spear was thrown at her.

"How DARE you dress like that," Undyne said, stepping close to her with a glare that unsettled Chara. "I'll bet Lady T would cry her eyes out to see you like that… what did you do to Lady T?!"

"Mom's fine," Chara said, taking a step back. "She sent me on my way after she made sure I was fine. She even gave me some pie to give to dad."

"Stop acting like you're Chara," Undyne said. "She's dead."

"Where have I heard that conversation before?" Chara asked herself. She dodged a spear, Undyne growling as she threw another.

"Hold on, hold on, Undyne," Chara said. "I'd love to fight, but I really am Chara. I'd rather not fight with killing intent."

"You think I'll fall for that," Undyne said. "Alright, fine. What's Chara afraid of?"

"You mean besides losing everyone I care about to the disgusting race that is humanity?" Chara asked.

"Uh… yeah," Undyne said. "What's her fear down here?"

"Do I really have to say it?" Chara almost whined.

"I'm waiting," Undyne said. "I'll give you five seconds to prove you're my best friend or I'll take your SOUL to Asgore."

Chara mumbled as she looked down, a flush of embarrassment on her face.

"I can't hear you," Undyne stepped closer with hatred in her eyes.

"I said I'm afraid of Temmie, alright?!" Chara shouted, her flush darkening as she hid her head in her hands as the whole of Waterfall probably heard her stupid childhood fear.

Undyne stopped, clenching her lips together tightly. Eventually, she couldn't contain the laughter as she stabbed the spear into the ground and doubled over.

"It's not funny!" Chara shouted.

"Wait, I got another question," Undyne said, looking up once she'd regained her composure. "What's Chara's favorite type of chocolate?"

"Favorite?" Chara asked.

"I thought it was you," Undyne threw a spear at her. Chara dodged, but could tell it wasn't thrown with killing intent. "But, you gotta admit, you've been dead twenty years after that crazyass stunt you pulled. Of course I wouldn't believe it was you at first."

"Neither did mom," Chara said. "So… uh, what do we do now?"

"Wanna fight?" Undyne asked.

"Hell yeah," Chara said, getting into her favorite position. "I wanna see what twenty years gave ya."

Undyne ran forward, Chara also running forward. They threw cross punches at each other, their fists hitting. There was a reverberating clang as they were thrown backwards from the strength they'd put into it. They shook the affected hands, looking down at them.

"Seems your armor makes up for less durability." Chara said. "Of course, you were always tough enough to fight with a human. Speaking of which… what is dad planning with the human SOULs?"

"To destroy humanity," Undyne said.

"He… he can't," Chara said, standing. "While I'd love it, it would make him no better than them. I… I don't want him to do that… I… I lost people to hatred… I can't lose him too."

"We'll work through this." Undyne said, stepping closer to Chara. "It's just… well, Alphys hasn't come through with a solution yet."

"What was the solution to begin with?" Chara asked. "There's a way to better this, I know, but this was your dad's idea."

"It's… It's all my fault." Chara looked down, trembling as she tried to fight the tears that threatened to spill.

"Your dad made this decision on his own," Undyne put a hand on her. "You didn't influence him."

"I know… but…" Chara said. "Wait, how did you know I did that? Ate the buttercups, I mean?"

"You told me your plan," Undyne said. "I kept it secret and you guys went to work on it."

"Oh yeah…" Chara said. "I'm sorry I burdened you with that."

"It's all good," Undyne ruffled her hair. "You had good intentions."

"So… wanna still fight?" Chara asked.

"Sure." Undyne grinned. "I'll even go easy on ya,"

"Bring it on," Chara grinned as the two stepped back. Chara's SOUL emerged from the locket, revealing her desire to fight. They leapt for each other, any formal training forgotten as they began to wrestle like children once again.

Chara tackled Undyne, Undyne hitting the ground with a clatter as she tried to get Chara off of her. Chara, however, had a better disposition due to her weight combined with Undyne's armor. Undyne kicked her off, however, throwing some spears at her with intent to hit her. She launched a small volley, Chara grabbing one and using it to block.

Chara managed to get near Undyne, landing a right cross on her face. Undyne's face began to swell, revealing the damage Chara had done. She let loose with a flurry of movement, Undyne trying to throw spears at her. She tried to dodge, but one hit her in the arm, piercing it. She countered with throwing Undyne's spear at her armored head.

Undyne dodged, kicking Chara back towards the edge of the bridge. Chara looked back quickly, seeing Undyne chuckle.

"Looks like it's time for me to step it up." She said. "You're stronger than I thought."

The ground began to glow blue as spears shot up from it, destroying the bridge under them. Chara's eyes widened as she heard the sound her father had always warned her about on the bridge: creaking and breaking.

"Oh crap!" Undyne said as she too realized how dangerous it could be. She stopped, walking forward.

"I'll come to you," Chara said, holding up a hand. However, before she could, the bridge snapped, breaking off. Chara felt herself falling into the blackness. Undyne ran towards her, trying to grab her, but she barely missed. The last things Chara heard before the blackness fully claimed her were Undyne's calling her name, but mostly she heard a sickening snap before she lost consciousness.

In the blackness, she could see something… it was a strange light. She moved towards it, the light pulling her in.

The light slowly began to fade into a familiar sight, one that always made her sick with disgust as it graced her deepest nightmares. As was per usual with her nightmares, she saw herself, curled in a ball, completely undressed as was per the cruelty of others, shivering both form cold and crying at the pain the humans had chosen this day.

Her own body began to ache from the various marks inflicted upon it, various scars that would never fade. Reminders of why humanity didn't deserve her love. The tears trembling down her face echoed her own as she saw this sight. At this point in her life, they weren't tears of pain or sadness, but tears of frustration as to why she ever thought this disgusting race was ever worth saving.

But, unlike the majority of her nightmares, which involved her reliving various horrendous acts the filth of humanity chose to inflict on the 'red eyed demon', this one took a different turn. She saw her body being picked up and held. To this day, Chara could still feel that warmth, even as close as Toriel's arms. She saw the crying, red eyed child look up to see who had picked her up. Chara knew that expression she had worn well; it was the expression of fear that someone else was going to continue what the others had been too bored to finish. However, this time was different. This time, it was a different face.

She saw a face she had known, yet could never reach. It was the face she truly cared for, despite everything. Those honey brown eyes and that messy mop of light brown hair that stared down at her. Chara would never, as long as she lived or didn't, forget that face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" The voice belonging to the face asked. It was a voice so angelic to Chara that she could get lost in it for hours and never even know it. She knew the voice so well, it was almost like she had been hearing it incessantly. She felt herself tear up as she watched the scene; if she had to choose the single greatest moment of her life, this would be it without question. Even counting every good moment with Asriel, Undyne, and her parents combined, this event stood out to her beyond any other.

The child Chara in the older human's arms just stared at her, surprised at her tone and actions. Chara knew that surprise well; this was, after all, the first and only human to show her any sort of kindness. It was at that moment that the small Chara in the human's arms began to cover her head, Chara's first reaction to any human nearing or touching her. The older human, despite a ten year gap between them, had become closer to Chara than any sibling she'd ever have.

"Hey, it's alright," The human said, holding the child close to her. The smaller Chara noticed her blood getting on the sweater the human wore and instinctively tried to get out of her arms to avoid upsetting her further.

"Please don't be mad," The child Chara whispered as she curled closer into a ball.

"Don't worry. It's just a sweater. It could use some color anyway." The older human giggled; giggles so positive and light that the child Chara looked up at her with her tear filled eyes.

"Y-You're not mad?" The child Chara croaked, her voice weary from crying her tears away.

"Of course not," The human giggled again. "Besides, you could use some clothes anyway. Blue might be your color."

Chara laughed as a tear escaped her eye. She knew blue really wasn't her color. But, that flirtatious smile and those eyes seemed to think otherwise. Continuing to watch the scene of the nightmare, she felt the pangs in her heart as she viewed the scene before her.

Without any change in her posture, the older human took her sweater off, managing to slip it onto Chara. Obviously, it was too big for the child Chara, being more like a sack than a sweater. Curled up in it, the child Chara didn't stretch it; such was her size and malnutrition.

The child Chara looked up at the older human, who looked at her with a smile, wearing a tank top under it. There were also tears in her eyes as she held the child close.

"Kids like you shouldn't have to cry themselves to sleep." She said as she sat down cross legged.

"I'm… a demon," The child Chara said, looking down with her red eyes.

"Well, I think you make a better angel," The older human said. "So, what's your name, angel?"

"Chara," The voice was a whisper, quiet and fearful.

"Well, that's a nice name, Chara," The older human said, a smile on her lips. "My name is Frisk…"

Suddenly, Chara found herself in another, darker blackness, standing in front of the specter that had been tormenting her since she woke up. She mustered up a glare, noticing the specter hadn't moved an inch and was staring at her with her black, soulless eyes.

"Where are we?" Chara demanded of her.

"Well, you're clearly in your head," The specter said. Chara noticed that there was no seductive or tormenting air to her voice, just a normal tone.

"What happened?" Chara asked. "Why are you here?!"

"You really don't get what I am, do you?" The specter said. "I figured as much."

"I know you're not Frisk," Chara growled, her eye beginning to glow with fire.

"And, why do you truly not believe that?" The specter asked. "Is it because you can't bring yourself to believe your precious Frisk had any darkness within her?"

"Because she couldn't," Chara said, stepping closer. "You're not her because Frisk wouldn't do this! Frisk wouldn't torment me like you do!"

"And, what makes you think I was the same after they killed me?!" The specter demanded, her black, soulless shape beginning to take form as that of a human girl Chara's age wearing a familiar set of clothing. "You weren't!"

"Frisk was dead before I fell!" Chara shouted. "And, how would you have latched onto my SOUL!?"

"Your HATRED pulled me in!" The specter shouted. "You're the one that made me this way! Our SOULs were similar and you forced me to come to yours! You made me this way, Chara! You made me into a creature of hatred!"

Chara froze, staring at the specter. The soulless eyes looked… tortured as the shadowy figure looked at Chara. The sixteen year old felt the specter puncture her chest and grab her SOUL. Immediately, she felt the emotions the specter felt. It wasn't just hatred, it was pain and anguish. But, one emotion stood out to her: love. A strange, twisted love for Chara that shook the sixteen year old to the core. She knew this love, had felt it before.

"Frisk…" Chara looked at the specter of the tortured human before dropping to her knees and sobbing. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to be this way. I wanted us to be together forever, like you promised. I would never want you to be like this."

"You made me like this!" The specter shouted with a voice of hate. "You got me killed and you—"

The specter dropped down, her visage changing to that of a human girl. Chara's heart sank as she realized this was Frisk's form. The scars still sat from where the humans had attacked her while she defended her. Tears of pure blackness streamed down Frisk's face as she grabbed her shoulder length hair, pulling on it and shrieking.

"I can't hate you!" She exclaimed in a voice full of rage and sorrow. "Despite everything, I can't hate you! You're… you're still my angel."

Chara held the sobbing form of Frisk, pulling her close.

"And you're still my salvation," Chara said, her own tears falling. "If you… if you truly are Frisk, I promise you I will find a way to restore you… even if it means giving my own SOUL."

"It hurts, Chara," Frisk said in a voice that broke Chara's heart; it was a voice she'd never expected someone she'd known to be as confident and headstrong as Frisk to make… it was a scared and trembling voice. "Hating hurts. I… I don't want to hate, but it's all I feel. Save me."

"I promise… I will," Chara said. "I won't let you hate anymore."

"I couldn't stop it," Frisk clutched Chara. "I was a drifting SOUL after my body was cast away. You fell and I couldn't do anything… But, when I bonded to your SOUL after she carried you to the RUINS, it latched onto me and wouldn't let me go. I fought it, but eventually… well, you know."

"Know what?" Chara asked.

"You… you really don't remember?" Frisk looked at her. "I… you know what? No. It's best you don't know. You already have nightmares enough."

"It was you that killed them all, wasn't it?" Chara asked. Frisk's silence was her answer.

"I'm not upset," Chara said after a minute. "If your only emotion is hatred, it has to go somewhere. I know how that feels, Frisk."

"I forced you to watch," Frisk said. "It… it was horrifying. I was trapped just as much as you, but the thing was it was my own body doing it. Please… let me die. Find a way to let me die."

"No," Chara said. "I won't let you die."

"This existence is killing me inside," Frisk said as she grit her teeth. "Please, Chara."

"I'll fix you," Chara said. "I promise. You're everything to me. I owe you everything, Frisk."

"Well, you do look hotter now," Frisk said with a smirk. Immediately Chara's complexion matched her eyes as she sputtered out a response.

"I'll fix you." Chara said. "Please try to hold on for me."

"I'll hold it in until you're ready to release me," Frisk said, letting out an honest giggle at Chara's reaction. "Just… don't be too long, Chara. Please. I can't fight this forever. It's only when you began to let go of your own hate that I'm ready to lose what you've got. You've not listened to anything I told you."

"They killed you," Chara said. "I couldn't let that go."

"I told you not to hate," Frisk said. "And because you did, now I'm forced to contain it."

"I… I'm sorry, Frisk." Chara said, holding the specter that was Frisk closer. "I… I want to help you. I… I will try to make this up to you."

"I'm sure I have a few ways," Frisk gave that signature wink she had, which nearly floored Chara despite the black hatred that covered Frisk's face.

However, Frisk's expression turned to one of horror as the blackness began to crawl over her once again, distorting her visage.

"Please save me," Frisk said in a quiet whisper as she became the specter of Chara's torment once again. Suddenly, she began to melt into the floor.

"No, Frisk, stay with me!" Chara tried to hold onto her, trying to hold her close. However, she was gone as a bright light claimed her.

She woke with a jolt, her head smashing into that of Sans.

"Frisk!" She shouted, looking around. Immediately, her head started hurting from the impact as well as something else. Tears had made their way down her face as she clutched her head in pain. She realized she was on Undyne's couch, judging by the feel of it.

"Man, kid, that ain't no way to greet a pal," Sans rubbed his head. "You're lucky I'm so heard headed."

"Chara!" Undyne shouted, kicking down her door. "You're awake!"

Chara was latched onto by Undyne, who had changed out of her armor into a black tank top and jeans.

"Hey," Chara mumbled. "Head hurts."

"Oh, uh, sorry," Undyne became gentler. "Sans helped me find you. I didn't wanna tell Papyrus because he'd freak out… a small fraction of how much Lady T would freak, but still."

"How long was I unconscious?" Chara asked.

"Three days, kiddo," Sans said.

"Don't call me kid," Chara said. "And did mom call?"

"Every day," Undyne said. "You owe us big for the excuses."

"I only got so many baa-d puns for your goat mom," Sans shrugged.

"Best not tell her we fought on the bridge then," Chara rubbed her head.

"No shit," Undyne chuckled. "She'd kill you and me both."

"Of course, seeing as how we found you…" Sans said, getting a glare from Undyne.

"How… did you find me?" Chara asked.

"We…" Undyne shuddered to think of it, something Chara was actually surprised to see from the fish woman. "We found you with your neck snapped and a puddle of blood."

"Puddle?" Sans questioned. "More like a river. Papyrus woulda mourned for days. Undyne almost lost her lunch. Saddest part was your eyes, kid."

"You seem oddly calm about seeing me in such a sorry state," Chara said.

"I've seen worse, kid," Sans said.

"I've felt worse," Chara said.

"That would explain the scars." Sans said. "You got some things to get off your chest? Especially about this Frisk person?"

"I… don't want to talk about it with you," Chara said.

"'S okay, kid," Sans shrugged, teleporting out through a 'shortcut'.

"So," Undyne sat on the arm of the couch. "What happened to you while you were out?"

"I was asleep for three days?" Chara asked in confirmation.

"Chara…" Undyne said, sighing. "You were dead for three days."

"Wh-What?" Chara asked, her head feeling like it was impaled with the gigantic sword she knew Undyne still had.

"Your body was dead and your SOUL was leaving it," Undyne said. "We managed to get it here and the blood stopped, but you were legally dead, according to Sans. It was only now your SOUL even responded to your body's presence. What happened?"

"I… I saw her, Undyne," Chara's eyes began to water as she remembered the memory. "She was right there and I could see her."

"Frisk?" Undyne asked, crossing her arms and leaning onto the back of the couch. A nod from Chara confirmed her answer. She sighed, shrugging. She knew what Frisk meant to Chara; Chara had told her exactly what she was to her. It pained Undyne to hear how she had lost her, but she also knew that she was the entire reason Chara had fallen in the first place.

"What did she say or do?" Undyne asked, looking at Chara with her good eye.

"I saw how we first met…" Chara said. "For the first time, it was an oddly positive dream."

"As positive as the events were," Undyne said. She knew what had happened to Chara on the surface; it was part of why she was able to help justify the humans she had killed. Chara had confided in her years ago as a sign of their friendship. The fact that Chara relived those nightmares was another reason why Undyne always felt sorry for her.

Of course, she and Asriel had always been there to lend a hand or a bed to help her. She knew they were always there to help. Hell, Undyne was practically living in the castle at that point and it was more often than not that Toriel found them all three crowded into Chara's bed, Chara sandwiched in between the other two.

Undyne's arms wrapped around the sixteen year old, holding her close.

"It's alright, shrimp," Undyne said. "You're safe now. You're among good company. If you want to share a bed like old times, I'm more than willing. Just, uh, don't tell Alphys."

"You have a crush on them?" Chara asked, looking up to see Undyne look away.

"It's a she and, uh, no." Undyne said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because why would it matter if you didn't?" Chara said, leaning onto Undyne's well-toned chest. "If you didn't, she shouldn't care if you share a bed with me. We're not dating. You and Azzy were my source of comfort."

"Yeah…" Undyne ran her slightly scaly fingers through Chara's hair, an old trick she knew to comfort her. "So, how about we start cooking something to celebrate your sudden return to the land of the living? Papyrus was supposed to be here, but Sans wanted him as far away from here as possible."

"Sure," Chara said. "Let's try not to burn the house down this time."

"Emphasis on try," Undyne chuckled as she held her best friend close.

"One thing bothers me," Chara said, tilting her head to look up at her. "Why not take my SOUL to dad? You'd be free."

"Your mom would _murder_ me," Undyne grinned. "I'm reckless, not stupid."

"True…" Chara said. "Say, what happened to your eye?"

"You remember how Lady T always said not to run with sharp things?" Undyne asked, a sheepish grin on her face as Chara continued looking.

"I think I see where this is going," Chara said.

"You do," Undyne chuckled. "Well, yeah. Ran to hit a target and tripped."

"Ouch," Chara said.

"Yeah," Undyne said. "Lady T managed to fix it right up, but I never could see out of it. So, I just started wearing the patch to prevent irritation."

"I get that," Chara said.

"Spaghetti time," Undyne said. "Let's start cooking. But, first, I'll get us some drink options while you call your mom."

"Oh shit," Chara felt around for her phone while Undyne held it up.

"Oh, good," Chara said. "I'll just call her and put her on speaker so you can say hey too."

"If she asks, we were sleeping." Undyne said.

"Right," Chara said. She dialed the number she knew by heart, listening to the ringing as she pushed the speaker button.

"Chara?!" Toriel exclaimed. "My child, are you there?!"

"It's me, mom," Chara said with a nervous laugh. "Sorry I didn't call. I was busy."

"Undyne said that you were having human problems," Toriel said. "I hope that you packed some—"

"Mom!" Chara shouted. "What if there's someone else here?!"

"Oh, sorry, my child," Toriel said. "Is Undyne there?"

"She's right here," Chara said, smiling a little as she looked back at the monster whose arms she was held in. "Took a nap and she was there with me."

"Well, that's good." Toriel said. "I hope she is behaving herself with you."

"You act as if we're children, Lady T," Undyne chuckled.

"Undyne," Toriel said, causing Chara and Undyne to gulp at her tone. "I know you both very well."

"Well, uh, we're gonna make dinner and I'm gonna send this little punk on her merry way." Undyne chuckled. "I'll tell Sans you said hi."

"I should hope you do," Toriel said. "He is such a nice skeleton."

"Yeah, he's okay," Undyne chuckled. "Bye, Lady T."

"Bye, mom," Chara said.

"Goodbye, my children," Toriel said, the happiness in her tone evident as she hung up the phone from her conversation with her daughter and the monster who was practically her daughter.

"That was close," Chara sighed. "Human problems, Undyne? Really?"

"Only thing that wouldn't make her freak out," Undyne shrugged.

"True," Chara said. "The things being dead makes you forget… though, whatever, it's not a big deal. So, let's get cooking."

"After some drink," Undyne said. "I'm kinda thirsty."

"I'll get to the table," Chara said. "Unless you wanna stay here."

"Hey, I'm good wherever." Undyne said.

"Alright, what do we have?" Chara asked.

"Uh, I think I have some hot chocolate," Undyne said. "Aaaand, I already know what you want."

"Yep," Chara said as Undyne released her, getting up and going to the kitchen. She grabbed a container, turning it upside down.

"Empty," She said. "Tea good?"

"I'll pass," Chara held up a hand. "Not really big on ingesting flowers."

"Oh, right," Undyne said. "I'll keep that in mind. How about mint?"

"Sure," Chara said. Undyne poured the tea and got them both a cup. Handing it to Chara, the two drank their tea, Undyne telling Chara about what had gone on since she had died.

"That ribbon in your hair looks like one of the humans'," Undyne said. "Same with the gloves."

"That's what mom said," Chara said. "I got the gloves from a box."

"huh," Undyne said. "I was wondering where those went. Yeah, they came through and all died one way or another. But, I guess you knew that."

"Yeah," Chara nodded, sipping her tea. "So, when did Alphys come into her role?"

"Recently." Undyne said. "But, she's real cool. Showed me all these human history videos."

"You mean anime?" Chara asked. "I thought we went over that those aren't real."

"She was super convincing about it though." Undyne said.

"I lived on the surface for six years and I never saw any of that stuff," Chara said. "The closest thing was Frisk and her incessant flirting. But, that's not the same."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Undyne said. "But, you would tell me if it was real, right?"

"Of course," Chara said. "So, how about some spaghetti? I hope it's mom's recipe."

"Why, you think I can't cook?" Undyne raised an eyebrow.

"I have tasted Papyrus' spaghetti," Chara said. "And, I know dad couldn't cook for shit."

"True," Undyne nodded. "So, I'll bet you're wondering why he's not in the Royal Guard yet."

"Are you kidding?" Chara rolled her eyes. "Two minutes with him taught me why. They'd kill the shit out of him because he'd try to hug all of them."

"Accurate," Undyne nodded. "I decided to teach him to cook instead since he'd be able to. I mean, he said you went on a date with him."

"Blame Frisk's teachings for that one," Chara blushed slightly.

"I do," Undyne chuckled. "We sure as hell didn't teach you how to flirt."

"She did," Chara said. "But… I think I know how to bring her back."

"I don't think you could do it that way," Undyne got out the ingredients.

"There has to be a way," Chara said.

"Alphys would know if anything." Undyne said. "You'd have to ask her."

"Yeah," Chara sighed. "I guess I would. Where is she?"

"Just inside Hotland," Undyne said. "You won't be able to miss the Lab."

"Oh, she's in Doctor Gaster's old lab?" Chara asked.

"Yep," Undyne said. "She even made it her own."

"I wonder if she ever found Doctor Gaster's old sublab," Chara said.

"Who knows," Undyne shrugged. "If she did, she knows exactly what to do with it. Creepy shit he had down there."

"Yeah," Chara chuckled. "Remember when we tricked Azzy into staying down there for an hour."

"And then he got us dragged into it," Undyne said. "Yeah, I remember."

"Good times," Chara said. "I miss him…"

"Me too, kid," Undyne put an arm around her. "Say, you seen Mettaton?"

"Who?" Chara asked.

"A new star in the Underground," Undyne said. "He showed up around the same time Blooky's cousin disappeared."

"Happy disappeared?" Chara asked. "What for?"

"No one knows," Undyne said. "All of a sudden, he's just gone. Alphys dismissed the idea and tried to change the subject each time, but whatever."

"Well, it's obvious she didn't kill him." Chara said. "He'd have to become corporeal for that."

"Yeah," Undyne sighed. "Doesn't make it any weirder."

"Right," Chara said. "so, what's this Mettaton like?"

"He's… well, he's a dick." Undyne said.

"Huh," Chara said. "What do you mean? Literally or figuratively?"

"Oh, figuratively." Undyne said. "He thinks himself the complete god of fashion. He thinks all sweaters are trash and he'll be super open about what he thinks is fashionable or unfashionable."

"He says one word about my sweater, I'll tear him a new one." Chara said as her eye glowed slightly. Her sweater was one Toriel had made. She had modelled it off of both Frisk's sweater she remembered and Asriel's. Unlike Frisk's, Chara had decided to go with green and yellow. It hurt too much to wear blue and pink like Frisk did, despite how much Toriel tried to console her. Even so, she still kept a blue and pink one in her closet back in New Home because she figured one day she'd be able to.

"Alright," Undyne snapped her out of her thoughts. "Time to make spaghetti."

"Vegetable smashing time," Chara said, smashing a tomato. "Mom's not here to stop us this time!"

"That's the idea, shrimp!" Undyne slammed the noodles into the pan as she and Chara began to stir with the ferocity of wild wolves. In an almost anime fashion, they gave sinister grins to their pot with eyes aglow with their magicks.

The pot, however, did not last through their destructive campaign, becoming quite dented in the process.

"Now it's time for the heat!" Undyne laughed like a near crazy person as she began to relive all the fun times she and Chara had had cooking… more like destroying.

"The hotter the better," Chara grinned, feeling the same rush of adrenaline as her headache faded. She kept turning the knob as the oven kept getting hotter and hotter under the power Undyne's stove put out. Eventually, the fire began to rage out of control.

"Uh, I think we should st—" Undyne said before the oven exploded, setting the house on fire.

"Oh shit, run!" Undyne picked Chara up and ran out, diving through the door.

"Not again!" Chara exclaimed as the made it onto the ground. Undyne landed on top of Chara, covering her.

"Looks like we got carried away again," Undyne grinned and shrugged. Both girls began to laugh as they flopped over onto the ground.

"Yep," Chara said. "By the way, you look great. Not in a flirty way, but you look hotter now."

"Was that a shitty pun?" Undyne asked.

"Do I look like someone who gives those?" Chara asked.

"Good answer," Undyne laughed.

"So, where are you gonna stay?" Chara asked.

"With Papyrus," Undyne said. "I'm sure he won't say no."

"I think the same." Chara said.

"So, what about you?" Undyne asked.

"I'm heading to dad's house," Chara said. "I'll maybe stop at the Lab, but I should be able to get it in the next couple of days."

"Alright, shrimp," Undyne pat her shoulder with a grin as they still lay on the ground. "You be safe now. Cuz your older sister figure's got your back."

"How are you older?" Chara asked. "I was born first."

"You've been dead," Undyne gave a smug grin. "That makes me older,"

"Fine, fine," Chara said. "I guess I'll get goin'."

"Sure you don't want to stop by Temmie Village?" Undyne smirked.

"Ha ha," Chara said.

"Hey, I hear they have some great stuff," Undyne said. "The one went to college."

"I'll hard pass," Chara said.

"Well, have fun," Undyne said as they both stood up. They hugged each other, Undyne beginning to noogie her.

"Good to have you back, Chara," She said.

"Thanks, Undyne," Chara said. "It's good to be back."

They parted ways, Chara heading through the town to the end, waving to Napstablook as she made it through. Onward to the rest of Waterfall, she happened to walk by a Temmie. Chara froze in place, hoping she would walk on.

However, the Temmie noticed her, moving over to her with a strange speed.

"Hyoomans!" She exclaimed, squealing in excitement as Chara's eyes were wide with fear as she looked into her eyes. "Tem luvs hyoomans."

"Uh, I think I have to go," Chara said. The Temmie wrapped her arms around Chara, holding her fast.

"But, Tem luvs hyoomans." She almost whined. "Wants to pets hyoomans."

"Some other time," Chara said. "I, uh, need to go."

"Tem want!" Temmie said.

"How about… I come back later?" Chara sighed.

"Promise?" Temmie asked.

"Yes, I promise," Chara sighed.

"Okay, hyoomans!" Temmie smiled wide. "Tem lets hyoomans go see king!"

"How did you…" Chara asked.

"Temmie know hyoomans princess well!" Temmie said. "Hyoomans princess is Temmie's hero!"

"R-Really?" Chara asked. Temmie nodded ecstatically. Chara sighed, knowing she may regret this.

"Do you want to get some Temmie Flakes?" Chara asked. A glomping from the Temmie was her answer. Chara sighed as she escorted the Temmie back to Temmie Village.

About two hours later, a nearly traumatized Chara made it into Hotland, walking in front of the Lab. She decided not to recount what had happened in Temmie Village, particularly because she knew what her mom or Undyne would say.

The doors to the lab suddenly opened to reveal a reptilian monster that reached Chara's breasts.

"O-Oh!" She exclaimed. "I-I was expecting you! I-I'm Doctor Alphys! Come on in!"

Chara felt herself yanked along by the doctor, the doors of the Lab closing behind her.

* * *

And, next chapter we shall see how Chara makes it through Hotland. We shall learn more about her and Frisk as we go as well.

I know I cut the battle short, but in the long run, it makes sense... Plus, I wanted that bridge scene. I had thought of it and I wanted that nod to the game, but in my own twist. Sure, the scene with Asriel would work, but this one worked as well since Chara's been mostly mourning Asriel on this journey.


	5. Mettaton's Grand Entrance

Chapter Four: Mettaton's Grand Entrance

Alphys was a little stronger than she looked, but Chara was mostly surprised at the action. She glanced at a huge screen just inside the Lab and noticed herself. However, in the image, she also saw a ghostly form of Frisk, a sad smile on her face as Chara remembered what she had promised. She gave the ghost a sad smile, clutching her locket in remembrance.

"I-It's so cool s-since you're human and all," Alphys said. "I-I've not seen too many since I-I've been here."

"Uh, thanks?" Chara asked. "So, uh, doc?"

"C-Call me A-Alphys," Alphys said with a slight blush.

"Okay, uh, Alphys," Chara said, deciding to just ask. "Do you know how to separate a being from my SOUL and also purify her and put her in her own body?"

"Th-That… sounds… l-like something I-I…" Alphys stuttered, suddenly seeming more nervous than before.

"If you know, I have that sort of problem," Chara said.

"I-I don't want to kill this b-being if it goes wrong." Alphys sighed. "I-I've tried it before… with D-Doctor Gaster's experiments."

"Well, he may know what to do," Chara said. "But, I also know he left all his notes in his lab."

"R-Right," Alphys nodded. "B-But, it's not exactly an e-easy thing to do."

"Can't you just extract her essence and move it into a body?" Chara asked.

"W-Well, possibly," Alphys said. "C-Can you give me time to work on a s-suitable body?"

"Sure," Chara nodded. "I'm just going to see my dad in New Home anyway."

"Y-Your dad is also here?" Alphys asked. "I-I didn't know any h-humans survived… u-uh…"

"I know there's dead humans," Chara said. "I was with Undyne before now."

"H-H-How is she?" Alphys asked, her yellow face turning orange.

"Pretty good," Chara said. "She talks about you a lot."

"R-Really?!" Alphys exclaimed, covering her face as she realized her outburst. "S-Sorry."

"No problem," Chara said. "But, my dad isn't human."

"N-Not human?" Alphys asked. "B-But, who… w-wait, I know you. Y-You're the princess."

"That would be me," Chara said.

"Th-This proves s-so many things a-about DETERMINATION!" Alphys said. Chara tilted her head. She had heard Doctor Gaster mention the term several times, but she didn't know exactly what was going on with it. All she knew was that she somehow had a lot of it.

"What is DETERMINATION?" Chara asked.

"W-Well, I suppose y-you should know s-since it's why you're h-here right now." Alphys said. "I-It is what makes h-human SOULs persist after d-death. H-However, beings with a certain a-amount can e-even turn back death."

"But, it took me twenty years to do so," Chara said. "Though, it only took three days the second time…"

"Y-You died again?!" Alphys exclaimed.

"Yeah…" Chara said. "Is that a problem?"

"I-It seems to be confirming some of Doctor Gaster's notes." Alphys said, seeming more confident. "I-If it took twenty years for you to regenerate the first time, but only three days the second time, that must mean you're rapidly generating it."

"What do you mean?" Chara asked.

"Something must have jump started your DETERMINATION," Alphys said, clearly in her element. "And, that something must have caused it to go into overdrive."

"Hmm…" Chara said, thinking.

"Try HATRED," Frisk said, managing to look normal, though she was clearly straining. "Your SOUL generated so much HATRED that over twenty years, it boosted this… DETERMINATION and caused us to revive and me to take your SOUL."

"Would HATRED be a spark?" Chara asked Alphys.

"Only if the HATRED is strong enough and focused enough," Alphys said, thinking. "But… only if there's nothing preventing it from growing."

"Like me being dead for twenty years?" Chara suggested.

"Bingo," Alphys said. "But, what could you hate that strongly?"

"Humans," Chara said. "All humans, with the exception of one, have my hatred. They took everything from me."

"I-I see," Alphys said, nervous again. "W-Well, that could do it. Y-Your SOUL could have also borrowed D-DETERMINATION from the other SOULs as they passed by."

"Good theory," Chara said. "Could we… extract some DETERMINATION and put it into a body for the one in my SOUL?"

"I-It'd be tricky," Alphys sighed. "Unless I had this being's actual body and SOUL, I-I couldn't do much."

"She's bonded to mine, so could a body like mine, but made to look like her work?" Chara asked.

"M-Maybe," Alphys said. "B-But, that's a topic for later. I-I actually have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?" Chara asked.

"W-Well, have you heard of M-Mettaton?" Alphys asked.

"The star Undyne says is a dick?" Chara asked.

"Y-Yeah," Alphys nodded. "W-Well, he… was originally made to kill humans, s-so, he heard you were coming a-and wanted to kill you."

"So, I beat the shit out of him without killing him?" Chara raised an eyebrow.

"Y-You can't," Alphys said. "H-He's too impenetrable."

"That's right, darlings," A robotic voice said as a rectangle burst through the wall. Red and yellow buttons flashed on it and it had two hands and legs. "And, now it's time to play everyone's favorite quiz show: "Will the Human Survive?". And, guess what? Our king may even be watching this one because Doctor Alphys asked him to."

"Well, at least he'll know I'm here," Chara muttered as Mettaton got right up in Chara's face with a microphone.

"So, darling," He said. "What's your name? Say it so all the audience can hear."

"Chara," Chara said, looking directly at him. "Chara Dreemurr."

 _At Sans and Papyrus' house_

Sans spit out the ketchup he was drinking as Undyne and Papyrus looked at him with the tv on in the background.

"SANS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Papyrus exclaimed.

"That kid…" Sans clutched his chest. "That's Chara Dreemurr? The one who's supposed to be dead?"

"BUT, SHE DOESN'T EVEN LOOK LIKE ASGORE." Papyrus said.

"She's adopted, Papyrus." Undyne said.

"I about killed that kid," Sans said. "Oh man, Tori is going to _murder_ me if she finds out about any of that dangerous stuff."

"And me too," Undyne said. "Let's just hope she doesn't see any of this go down… Clearly, something Chara has will let her cheat death, but we still can't count on Lady T being nice about it."

"Yeah," Sans actually gulped. He may not know the former queen very well aside from what she had told him, but since Undyne of all monsters didn't want to be on her bad side, he figured the best bet would be to stay on it too. Papyrus would most likely be on her good side regardless, so he wasn't worried there.

"So… what are you going to do?" Sans asked.

"Stay the hell out of her way," Undyne said. "Trust me, I may be like her adopted daughter, but I'm no fool about staying out of her way."

"Right," Sans nodded. "I guess we should check up on Chara later."

"WHY IS THE HUMAN ON METTATON?" Papyrus asked. "I DIDN'T THINK SHE WAS THAT POPULAR YET."

"We'll see," Sans said.

 _With Chara_

"The first question in our little quiz show goes as follows," Mettaton said. "If two trains are travelling at a speed of fifteen miles and thirty kilometers respectively, both at one hundred miles apart, when will they meet?"

Four answers popped up in front of Chara in a hologram, who looked at them, pushing one. Alphys' jaw dropped as a dinging sound rang out to signify she was correct.

"Uh… wow," Mettaton said. "C-Correct! I didn't think you'd know that one."

"I had two great maths teachers," Chara said. "Of course, one was more for basic stuff, but still."

"Um… well," Mettaton said. "The rest aren't going to be multiple choice. Next question: what is the prize for answering questions?"

"I don't get shocked or whatever your little punishment is?" Chara said.

"Correct," Mettaton said. "Next question: in Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, what flavor of ice cream does—"

"Snail!" Alphys shouted, covering her mouth immediately after.

"I was gonna say that," Chara shrugged.

"Doctor Alphys," Mettaton said. "Are you trying to help her cheat?"

"N-No," Alphys blushed slightly.

"Well, I suppose it's time to ask a question about you," Mettaton said. "So, Chara, what is the name of Doctor Alphys' secret crush?"

Four names popped up on the hologram: Asgore, Undyne, You (meaning Chara), and Mettaton. Chara rolled her eyes.

"I know the answer to this one," She said. She pushed the one for Undyne, making it quick.

"I see you have chosen correctly," Mettaton said.

 _With Undyne, Papyrus, and Sans_

"What did I miss?" Undyne walked back in, having went into the kitchen.

"YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION WAS!" Papyrus said. "IT WAS—"

Sans' hand clamped over Papyrus' teeth as he chuckled nervously.

"Mettaton, uh, asked a question on one of those anime Alphys watched with you." Sans said.

"Huh," Undyne said. "I thought he thought those were total garbage."

"Who knows," Sans shrugged, releasing Papyrus' teeth. "All I know is that Chara answered it."

"Cool," Undyne said.

 _With Chara_

The sixteen year old cracked her knuckles as Mettaton finished up the questions.

"So," She said. "Can I go now? I really want to see my dad."

"Yes, yes, fine," Mettaton said. "But, I should give you a makeover. Sweaters are so out."

"You touch this sweater, I'll turn you into scrap metal," Chara said with a dangerous tone that caused Alphys to cover her head in fear, her eye glowing with the fire magic she was still learning to control. "This sweater, for your information, was knitted by me and my mother, the _queen_."

"I, uh, see," Mettaton said. "Well, have fun, darling."

"I sure will," Chara said. "Alphys, it was nice to meet you. I hope you come to a conclusion on what I asked."

With that, Chara walked out the Lab the way she came in, heading to the elevator. She took it up to R1, having wanted to skip the puzzles, but being unable to due to the stupid way these elevators always worked.

She walked out, her phone ringing and startling her.

"Hello?" She picked up.

"Uh, C-Chara?" Alphys asked.

"Yeah?" Chara asked.

"Th-The puzzles are still a-active there," Alphys said. "I-I think I can help."

"Alright," Chara said. "I'll call you if I need help."

"B-But, I didn't give you my number." Alphys said.

"I'll use re-dial," Chara said. "Also, how'd you get mine?"

"U-Undyne gave it to me," Alphys said nervously. "A-After she called to tell me about how she saw y-you on TV."

"Well, she clearly didn't see the answer to the question," Chara said, Alphys audibly blushing. "I'll call you Alphys. I'm just kinda wandering at this point. I'll be back, I promise."

Chara hung up, heading to the elevator. She could see all the active puzzles. Unfortunately she knew how this worked for her exiting easily. She sighed and headed to the first one on her left.

Upon nearing it, she saw a green girl made of fire and dressed in a schoolgirl uniform. Immediately, Chara had flashbacks of a smaller green fire girl, barely born, just before she died.

"Fuku?" She asked, standing next to her. The fire elemental looked at her in surprise, studying her.

"You're… Chara, aren't you?" She asked. Chara nodded. Fuku took her hands, shaking them.

"My dad told me about you," Fuku said, smiling in the way only a fire elemental could. "He said you were special, but he also told me you'd died. Are you… the same?"

"I am," Chara said. "Your dad's food is still as good as ever."

"Are you going to see the king?" Fuku asked.

"I am," Chara nodded.

"Be safe then," Fuku said. "Also, could you solve this puzzle? We've been kinda trying for hours. We're hungry and MTT resort has some good food."

"Alright," Chara nodded. She entered the puzzle room, seeing the puzzle set before her.

"Move the blocks and shoot," She read. "You only get one shot."

She began to move the blocks around, muttering all sorts of curses at them as she couldn't manage to get it.

"Left," Frisk's voice came in her head. Chara obeyed without hesitation.

"Right," Frisk's voice said. Chara continued to obey, deciding to trust Frisk completely. Frisk continued to say things. Chara wondered why she wasn't appearing, but her mind came to the conclusion that it was easier for her to fight the hate if she remained in Chara's SOUL, where there was no hatred of her.

After a bit, Chara was able to take the shot. She did so, grinning as she had solved the puzzle. She walked out, nodding to Fuku.

"Thank you, Miss Chara." She said, waving with a smile.

"You're welcome," Chara said.

"So, why aren't you showing up physically?" Chara asked Frisk quietly.

"Tired," Came Frisk's muttered reply. It then occurred to Chara that the specter Frisk had been wasn't consistently there. There was usually a gap of at least a few hours and she had only tormented her heavily on rarer occasions. Judging by that, it might have been that Frisk was more consumed by the hate at different times. Chara shuddered to think what Frisk might be suffering.

"We're gonna get you a body soon," Chara said. "And, we'll get the HATE out of you. I promise."

"Thanks, angel," Frisk muttered softly. Chara didn't hear her again after that, leading her to believe she'd begun to rest. She walked forward, coming to another puzzle. Now understanding it better, she was able to solve it on her own. Making her way to the door, she walked through to the elevator to L2.

After some walking, she came upon a sentry stand with a sleeping Sans. When she walked by, he woke up, looking at her.

"Hey, kid," He said.

"Don't call me kid," Chara said.

"Fine, fine," Sans said. "How about princess then?"

"NO," Chara growled. "Why are you here? And… why is there snow on your roof?"

"Too lazy to clean it off," Sans chuckled. "So, still headed to the palace?"

"Of course," Chara said. "So, why are you here?"

"Keep an eye on you," Sans said. "So, how's it goin?"

"Get to the point," Chara said. "You're diverting my attention."

"Alright," Sans said, his pupils disappearing. "tell me about the slaughtering of monsterkind."

"You had those nightmares too?" Chara asked, definitely not going to throw Frisk under the bus. "Odd."

"I keep seein' a kid who looks like you," Sans said. "You know anyone like that?"

"I dislike humans," Chara said. "They took away the two most important people to me. I don't care about some human, but if they kill monsters, I'll stop them."

"Somethin' tells me you ain't tellin' the full story," Sans said.

"Something tells me that you're pushing against your boundaries," Chara said. "I'm leaving now. I understand your fears, but I promise you I will protect this race from any that would bring harm to it."

"I believe ya," Sans said. "I hope ya find what you're lookin' for at the palace."

"I know I will." Chara said, waving as she walked on. "So, how are you doing selling the hotdogs?"

"Pretty good," Sans said. "See ya. Sorry I got all scary."

"You're fine," Chara said. "I understand why."

The sixteen year old continued to walk through Hotland, coming to a cooking show set.

"I wonder if there's any chocolate in this fridge," She opened it and began looking. Suddenly, she heard the sound of cameras and a voice that made her irritated. Still digging into the fridge, she listened.

"And, welcome back to "Cooking with a Killer Robot", ladies and gentlemen." Mettaton said. "It looks like our guest is trying to sneak food from the fridge."

"Where's the damn chocolate?!" Chara exclaimed, digging through the fridge and tossing things out. "Every fridge should have chocolates!"

"Um… darling?" Mettaton asked. "Are you going to come out and say hello to your many fans?"

"After I find chocolate," Chara said.

"There isn't any in there," Mettaton said. "I used it all up last time."

"Ugh, fine!" Chara sighed, walking over. "What do I have to do?"

"Well we're going to cook," Mettaton said.

"Clearly you've never seen my other attempts at cooking." Chara said.

"I think anyone has potential," Mettaton said. "But, they have to try."

"Me and Undyne have set her house on fire no less than five times over cooking," Chara said.

"… Well, sometimes it takes more practice," Mettaton said. "And less of you two together… But, today, we're going to cook a very special dish. Gather the ingredients and you'll see what it is."

"Works for me," Chara grabbed the milk, sugar, and eggs that were placed on the counter behind her. She brought them to Mettaton, the rectangular robot placing them in a dish and mutilating them as he looked at her.

"Now, for the next ingredient," He said, taking out a chainsaw. "A human SOUL."

"Ha, that's a good one," Chara said.

"You are… not afraid?" Mettaton asked.

"Because I know monsters don't actually eat human SOULs," Chara said. "Especially when they only need one more to break the barrier forever."

"True," Mettaton said. "I suppose you're a smart cookie after all, darling. But, do you think you can make it to get the real ingredient?"

"What is it?" Chara asked.

"It's on that table over there," Mettaton pointed to a can of something on a table.

Chara nodded, walking over as the table shot into the air.

"Let me guess," Chara said. "You want me to climb, don't you?"

"Rightio, darling," Mettaton said. "How are you going to do it?"

"I'll just climb it," Chara said. "I managed to get to the top of the castle once by myself. View was incredible."

"Well, if you managed that, you'll have no trouble," Mettaton said. "But, we're on a tight schedule, so I'll only have to give you ten minutes."

"Let's see if I can," Chara said. She began to climb, Mettaton seemingly surprised at her speed.

"Seems this human can really climb." He mused to the cameras. "Let's see if she can keep it up, however."

Mettaton ignited a jetpack in his body, shooting up above Chara and dropping chocolate kisses down as well as pies. Chara immediately stopped, reaching for the chocolate.

"Well, it seems someone likes chocolate," Mettaton said. Meanwhile, Undyne groaned as she watched with Papyrus and Sans, who had teleported back.

Chara stopped looking for them after Mettaton had stopped dropping them. She continued to climb, making it to the top. Upon reaching it, she pulled on the can to find it was stuck to the table.

"What the hell?!" She exclaimed. "Why?!"

"Sorry, darling," Mettaton said. "Had to keep it from falling off. Congrats though. Last contestant broke an arm trying this. Oopsie."

"Well, I should just jump then," Chara said. "Can't be too bad a—"

Immediately as Chara looked down, she realized it was a bit larger of a fall than she'd expected. Certainly smaller than the bridge, but lager than she preferred to fall.

"Best hold on," Frisk appeared next to her, her body still that sickly yellow shade the specter had taken. "It's a bigger drop and you really don't need to die again."

"Got it," Chara nodded as the cabinet began to lower itself to the ground.

"Whew," Frisk said.

"Well, darlings," Mettaton addressed the audience. "It's time we looked at our finished product."

"Finished… product?" Chara asked.

"Haven't you ever watched a cooking show on the surface, darling?" Mettaton asked.

"They never let me in the house, much less to the TV," Chara said.

"Uh… harsh…" Mettaton said. "But, anyway, darling. Everything is cooked ahead of time."

"Huh," Chara said. "Well, let's see."

"Well, darlings," Mettaton pulled out a finished cake, the look of it immediately causing Chara to drool. "Here's our masterpiece: a "human SOUL" infused chocolate cake."

Immediately, Chara grabbed the cake, cutting it up and taking a bite. She began to finish the slice, going for another.

"A bit greedy, aren't we?" Mettaton asked her.

"I haven't eaten in four days and I love chocolate," Chara said.

"I see," Mettaton said. "Well, I suppose your behavior is justified. Enjoy, darling."

"I sure will," Chara said, noticing something yellow flash out of the corner of her eye. She turned to face it, but couldn't see anything. Whatever it was, it was gone now.

"Have fun on the rest of your adventure, darling," Mettaton waved her. "We'll meet again."

"I'm not sure whether or not to be enthused," Chara said.

"Be awed by my presence," Mettaton said.

"Not gonna happen," Chara said. "Now, where is the exit? Oh, here."

The sixteen year old left, heading further into Hotland. At one point, she saw the CORE in all its massive glory.

"Such a strange machine you've made, Doctor Gaster." Chara said, staring at it. "To think it has become powerful enough to generate all of this."

She continued walking, managing to make it to the heat vent areas.

"Oh no," Chara said with a heavy sigh. "Not these again."

"What's wrong?" Frisk asked.

"I always got sick on these," Chara said.

"It can't be that bad," Frisk said. Chara stepped on one, being launched to another and another in a circle, making it to the end eventually. She landed on the ground, vomiting the cake back up.

"Speaking of which," Chara said, a little upset about losing that cake. "How are you doing?"

"I'm… I'm managing to do a bit better with the hatred." Frisk said. "I think your love for me is helping."

"Well, good," Chara said. "Now… where could that next part be?"

The sixteen year old made it through another set of puzzles of the same kind as the first. Eventually, she made it to another area with some weird objects.

"Hello, darlings," Mettaton said, landing in front of her. "It's time for this human to report on the news."

"The hell?" Chara asked.

"Give us something to report," Mettaton said. Chara sighed, holding up her hand in an offensive gesture.

"My object to report is my middle finger," She said, which caused the ghostly Frisk to cover her mouth to avoid the giggles that she didn't want Chara to hear. "I learned this from Undyne. My mom was super unhappy about this, but I learned such a unique trick. The significance of this gesture means for you to go f—"

"And that's the news!" Mettaton said, clapping to block any answer Chara might have said. "Uh, make sure to blur that out, cameraman."

"Aww, but I was just getting to the good part," Chara said, Frisk lying back in the air and laughing. Undyne was laughing from where she sat on Papyrus and Sans' couch.

"Darling, this is daytime television," Mettaton said. "We can't just say things of that caliber."

"Why not?" Chara asked.

"It's the rules," Mettaton said.

"Eh, whatever," Chara chuckled. "I'm sure you get I was just messing around."

"Of course, darling." Mettaton chuckled. "Well, have fun. We'll see each other in the CORE."

"Uh, sure," Chara tilted her head in confusion. "Well, I guess I'll head off."

"Bye, darling," Mettaton waved as Chara walked off.

"How much longer is this place?" Frisk asked.

"Not much," Chara said. "It shouldn't be too much longer. But, let's be careful anyway."

"Right," Frisk said.

The sixteen year old and her ghostly companion made it to a strange area of Hotland that was purple instead of the typical orange.

"This place seems familiar," Frisk said as black lines creeped up her face. "I'll… be back. I… I'm losing control."

Chara sighed sadly as she walked in. Immediately, she saw the spider webs that covered everything in the room, not much else being lit. She didn't look up, knowing that she probably didn't want to.

"I hear that a human wearing a striped sweater is coming," A voice said from nearby. On instinct, Chara's magic flared up, her eye glowing a dangerous red. She whirled around, seeing nothing but air. Deciding it actually was nothing, she decided to go on ahead.

"I hear they like to step on spiders," Chara heard the voice again, this time looking around as she stepped backwards. She wasn't afraid, persay, but she also knew not all monsters were kind to humans in this time.

"I hear they like to pull their legs off," The voice said again, this time behind Chara. She turned to see five eyes and a fanged mouth grinning at her from the darkness. She jumped backwards in surprise, landing on a large spider web. She found she was stuck to the web. The person that had startled her, leapt on her, binding her fast with webbing in a very intricate pattern that looked like it would take lots of practice.

"Hello, dearie," The person said, lying down on top of Chara and tracing a finger up and down Chara's chest with a seductive smirk on her face. "My name is Muffet and I'm here to take payment for the spiders."

"By having sex with me?" Chara asked. "Because this certainly doesn't scream anything else to me."

"Flirt with her," Frisk's voice came into her head.

"Well, dearie," Muffet said in that same voice. "Perhaps that will come later. Right now is the payment for the spiders you squashed and tortured."

"I haven't seen a single spider besides you here," Chara said, testing her bonds. "I passed out and was carried by my mom into her home in the RUINS. Also, what would you do to me anyway?"

"Take all your money and then perhaps I'd keep you as a pet," Muffet smirked, crossing her three pairs of arms and resting two of them on Chara's breasts.

"I like this one," Frisk said. "Let's keep her."

"I think I'm gonna have to decline," Chara said to both. "See, I'm going to my dad's house in New Home."

"And, I'm sure he'll understand once I… persuade him," Muffet said. "But let's begin this. Perhaps your gold is in your pocket."

Chara gave a shudder as she felt Muffet reach down her jeans. An embarrassed look crossed the spider woman's face as she actually managed to hit her pocket, taking her gold.

"So, who's your father?" She asked. "If I'm to take a new pet, I must know where to send a note. Can't be informal about it, dearie."

"Well, his name is Asgore," Chara said. "I'm sure you know that name."

"Wait… Muffet said. "You're Asgore's human? Aren't you dead?"

"Do I look dead?" Chara asked.

"I don't like when people lie to me," Muffet leaned down to Chara's ear. "It makes me want to have to do some… naughty things to get your behavior corrected."

"Starting to see why mom and dad didn't want me, Asriel, and Undyne coming down here," Chara said with a roll of her eyes. "So, Muffet, what makes you think I'm just going to let you do this?"

"Not like you're in any position to stop me, dearie," Muffet giggled. "But, I'm not cruel, dearie. I'm fully a believer in consensual interactions."

"You, without warning mind you, tied me up and threatened to get all whips and chains on me," Chara raised an eyebrow. "Not really a good argument for you."

"I left you the ability to speak in good faith you wouldn't insult a spider in her own parlor," Muffet said. "I can remedy that."

"The kinky way or the painful way?" Frisk and Chara asked as Muffet's eyebrow began to twitch. "Speaking of, you have any chocolate pastries?"

"Of course," Muffet sighed. "I guess I shouldn't take chances here. If you really are Asgore's human, or worse, his wife's, it wouldn't do to keep you here."

"It's not like I'm uncomfortable or anything," Chara said. "Buuuut, I do like to have a say in the matter."

"I'll have more fun with you later," Muffet giggled, removing the webbing. "But, be nice to the spiders."

"Best pastries ever," Chara said. "I'll talk to dad to see if he can help you out."

"Why thank you, dearie," Muffet said. "I'll be sure to remember this."

She helped Chara up, nudging her out the door.

"Now come back, dearie," She said. "Or else my pet will come and find you."

Chara looked back to see the biggest muffin she'd ever seen with spider legs and a huge mouth walk over. It sniffed Chara, the human staring at it wide eyed. It then licked her face, roaring a little.

"My my," Muffet said, giggling. "He must like you. Or you smell like chocolate."

"Maybe both," Chara walked out, waving. "Bye, Muffet."

Once they left, Frisk appeared beside Chara, giggling. Chara had to chuckle herself as they walked toward the entrance to the CORE.

As she walked out, she saw a Nice Cream salesman next to two buff looking guards. They looked new, so Chara figured Undyne had only recently recruited them.

"Uh, like, hey," One said. "Stop right there."

Chara looked at them, crossing her arms. She knew that this might get ugly and she really didn't want to have to beat these two up.

"We're looking for a human in a striped shirt," The one said. The other just nodded. "But, like, you should… wait. Man, this is awkward."

"What?" Chara asked. "Did you just realize I'm human?"

"Uh, dude," The one said, looking at the other. "We should, like, kill her now."

"Can't you just take me to the king?" Chara asked, realizing these two probably hadn't watched the Mettaton showing.

"Like, no can do," The guard said. "We're gonna take you to the dungeons and let Undyne kill you. The king's, like, super busy and we wanna go watch Mettaton today."

"But, he's my—" Chara dodged the silent one's sword, the talkative one managing to grab her.

"Hey!" Chara exclaimed.

"Come along quietly and maybe we'll let you see the king," The talkative one said. "Right, bro?"

The silent one nodded. Chara sighed and decided to just go along with it. The two bound her hands behind her back and led her along.

"You should flirt," Frisk poked her head up as Chara gave her a look. She noticed Frisk seemed to be getting a better control of her hatred. Perhaps… she was moving on from her own hate?

The two buff guards dragged her to the MTT Resort that connected to the Core. They took her down the elevator in the lobby, taking her down to the lower levels. Once the elevator stopped, they pulled her through it into a large row of cells. They threw her into one, locking the door.

"Stay in there, human," The talkative one said. "Undyne will be there shortly to deal with you."

"Uh, huh," Chara pulled out her phone. "I'm sure she will."

She dialed Undyne's number, the fish woman picking up.

"What is it, punk?" Undyne asked.

"Can you come get me out of this cell?" Chara asked. "Two of the Royal Guard arrested me for being human. So… yeah, can I borrow the keys?"

"I'll handle it," Undyne said. "Put me on speaker."

"Alright," Chara did so.

"HEY, YOU TWO!" Undyne shouted. "Let the princess go! She's heading to her old man's house!"

"Princess?" The talkative one asked. The silent one looked at Chara, doing a thinking pose.

"She resembles the princess from the pictures in the Judgement Hall and in New Home." He said.

"His voice is so hunky," Frisk said. "I'd let him talk like that to me all day."

"I'm starting to think you may have had a questionable job on the surface," Chara said.

"Hey, I didn't tell you all my secrets." Frisk said. "But, I really didn't. And, if I did, I wouldn't tell you so I could spare you that pain."

"Okay," Chara said.

"So, uh, we'll let her go," The talkative one said.

"YOU BETTER!" Undyne shouted.

The guards unlocked the cell, allowing Chara out. Chara nodded to them, walking out of her cell and up to the MTT Resort, which was an odd tribute to Mettaton. In the lobby, she saw Sans.

"Hey, kid," He waved.

"Don't call me kid," Chara said. "What brings you here?"

"Here to take you to dinner," Sans said. "Figured you hadn't eaten anything besides chocolate cake."

"That is true," Chara said. "Let's go."

"No shortcuts this time," Sans chuckled. "It's right here."

Chara followed him to the restaurant in the resort and he sat them down at a table.

"So, I figure it's time I came clean about some stuff," Sans said. "I actually have been following you."

"Big shocker there," Chara said.

"Well, see there's a story there," Sans said. "See, I met this lady who lived in the Ruins and she was super nice. She told tons of great puns and we hit it off."

"You mean my mom?" Chara asked, crossing her arms.

"Oh yeah…" Sans chuckled. "I guess she would be your mom. Undyne said she was the former queen Toriel and she knew her personally."

"She does," Chara said. "She was practically raised by my parents since she was always at the castle. I could always count on her and Asriel to be there for me and I was always there for them."

"Yeah, she talked about that," Sans said. "Undyne, I mean. But, back to my story. So, she eventually tells me about how she wanted me to promise to protect a human if one ever fell. Now, I'd befriended one before… real cute girl… er, in the childlike sense. So, she was killed by the king and I was upset. That was why I didn't like making promises, but the old lady was insistent. So, lo and behold, you show up and I can't deny her this request."

"You've been doing more sleeping than protecting me," Chara rolled her eyes. "Besides, I'm capable of taking care of myself."

"I have been watching you," Sans said. "And, it's not like you've died."

The look from Chara immediately silenced him.

"Oh yeah…" he said after a minute. "Sorry about that. Uh, well, the thing is, if I hadn't made that promise… you'd be dead where you stand."

His pupils disappeared when he said that. Chara stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing.

"Uh, what's funny?" Sans asked.

"You, comedian," Chara said. "I died from collapsing from a bridge. I'm sure I'd be fine. I mean, if not from my own skill, from the friends I have."

"Fair enough," Sans chuckled. "So, what's your story?"

"Well, as you probably know, I'm the princess here," Chara said. "I died twenty years ago to break the barrier in a failed plot. But, I'm back. Not sure how, but Alphys had some ideas."

"DETERMINATION, huh?" Sans said. "Guess my old man's not so crazy after all. Well, I won't keep you longer. You've got a meeting with Asgore, right?"

"Yep," Chara said. "I'll be seeing you."

"We'll meet at least once more before your trip's over," Sans said. "Worry not."

"Right," Chara nodded, leaving after grabbing a ton of food from a nearby table that was empty. She chowed down on it, heading into the CORE for the final stretch of her journey.

* * *

And so, Chara enters the CORE. We all know what fight will await her at the end. But, will it go the way we expect?

And, we're coming to the end of the neutral run portions of this within the next two or three chapters. Again, I'm doing it because I think it brings important development (and some cool as shit things I thought of to do during the Flowey fight...) also, there are some things that I need to have from it to use in the pacifist portions, which will be another couple of chapters beyond this. Let me know if you have anything that needs explaining and also let me know if you want me to continue this after the end of the pacifist route.


	6. I'm Headed Straight for the Castle

Chapter Five: I'm Headed Straight for the Castle

The sixteen year old walked into the Core, looking up at the monstrosity that was the Core. Almost as if a chain reaction, her magic spiked for a second, causing her to clutch her head in pain. Flames leaked from her tightly clenched eyes, Chara being unable to hold them in.

"You need to gain control of your magic," Frisk said, appearing beside her in physical form, surprisingly looking like her old self. It wasn't like Toriel would have said it, gently with a good deal of firmness and guidance. It wasn't even how Asgore would have, with that fatherly wisdom. It was the way Frisk had always spoke to her, not a single inflection other than love. Chara knew that she was simply stating a fact. While her magic was tied to her emotions, she'd not been able to call it without being in an intense emotional situation, like when the hateful being had tormented her.

Chara concentrated, trying to think of something that would calm her, shouting in pain at the piercing headache. She tried her best to fight the pain to think, but it was clouding her mind.

She felt what her mind made her think was two arms around her. While she knew that feel, she knew she wasn't physically there… not in the sense she had a body. She was just affecting Chara's auditory and vision centers to allow her to see her in a non-invasive way. But, she felt it all the same.

"Remember the stars," Frisk said, whispering into Chara's ears. Immediately, Chara's eyes shot open, burning with a blood red fire that had become calmer. A memory of her sitting in Frisk's lap, both cross legged as Frisk pointed out the stars to her. Before then, Chara had never taken notice of the shining orbs in the sky, but now she could see their beauty as Frisk wrapped a blanket around them both.

" _That's Sirius,"_ She heard Frisk say. _"It's the brightest one there is. And, the one nearby is the Pole Star."_

She'd been fascinated by them, the warmth Frisk provided making them feel even more special. Tears spilled from her eyes as the fires died down, gone in a puff of smoke.

"Thank… thank you," Chara said. "This place… I've always felt weird in here. Of course, we both know there's a more somber place yet."

"Y-Yeah," Frisk said, both of them thinking of the same bloodstained hall that had been there almost as long as the Underground itself.

"I guess we keep going," Chara said. "No sense in waiting here. Last stop before my dad."

"Right," Frisk said. "About… about the nightmares…"

"Save it," Chara said. "I'd rather not remember. I'm not sure why I saw Asriel there. He was dead twenty years ago."

"Yeah… he was," Frisk said, having purposefully kept that little tidbit of information from Chara. There was no way she knew of to help him and she also didn't want Chara to know what he had done… though, there was no guarantee she wouldn't find out.

"I wish he was here," Chara said, standing and continuing her walk. "But, I carry him in my heart. Just like I carry you in my heart."

"I think it's a bit different there," Frisk snickered.

"Well, yeah…" Chara shrugged. "I guess it is."

"Tell me, where did you learn what lingerie looked like?" Frisk asked her companion with a smirk, Chara's eyes widening as her face immediately turned the same shade as her eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chara said as she walked through the Core to the elevator.

"I've seen some of your more… interesting thoughts," Frisk said with a teasing smile. "I didn't know I rubbed off on you quite that way. Though, I'm sure you wanted me to rub off on you in a… different way."

"Why must you insist on trying to flirt with me!" Chara covered her face. The only person who could get her so flustered was Frisk, even when she was a child.

"It's fun," Frisk snickered. "You're still so cute when you blush."

"Ha ha" Chara said, biting back her original retort of 'you're lucky I love you'. She knew how that would be taken by the incessant flirt.

"Oh, stop being such a flustered Francine," Frisk said. "A little flirting never hurt anyone."

"You would flirt with anyone," Chara glanced at where Frisk was.

"True, but I only ever meant it with one person," Frisk said, shrugging. "Also, looks like the elevator's broken."

"Wait, who was the one person?" Chara asked, but Frisk didn't answer her. This left the princess with quite a few questions.

"Elevator," Frisk brought her back on track.

"Huh?" Chara pushed the button. "Oh, joy. This damn thing. Now we've got to fumble our way through the Core and get lost."

"Lost?" Frisk asked.

"This place is constantly shifting around," Chara said. "Partially due to its magical nature, it constantly moves. So, basically…"

"We should call Alphys," Frisk shrugged.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about her," Chara said. "I didn't want to bother her, so I didn't. Let's see if she has a current map."

Chara pushed the redial button on her phone. Immediately, she heard Alphys' voice.

"H-Hello?" She asked. "I-If this is about y-your family members, th-then, I don't know what to say. I-I'm still working o-on it."

"Uhhh… what?" Chara asked.

"O-Oh!" Alphys exclaimed. "Ch-Chara! I-It's you!"

"The one and only," Chara said with a slight bit of sarcasm.

"That's good because I don't think I could handle two," Frisk snickered. "I'd probably get a nosebleed."

"S-So… about that…" Alphys said. "D-Don't worry about it."

"Alphys…" Chara said. "If you want to talk to someone who won't judge… I'm a phone call away. I'll come and visit if I have to, but I will listen. Alright?"

"Wh-Why would you do that?" Alphys asked, her voice becoming softer… scared even. "Y-You don't know what I-I've done."

"I've seen and done things that were terrible too," Chara said. "How about this: after I see my dad, I come over and we sit down and talk? You're Undyne's… friend and I wouldn't want to see you hurt any more than I'd want to see her hurt."

"I… I don't think you can help this as well as you think," Alphys said in a quiet voice.

"… I lost the two most important people to me," Chara said. "I know what suffering is, Alphys. Don't bottle it all up. You'll try to do something you'll regret. I did once. It's how I ended up here."

"I… I guess we can talk," Alphys said. "Just… just be careful."

"Alright," Chara said. "Oh, I almost forgot what I called you about. Do you know what the current layout of the Core is?"

"N-No," Alphys said. "Even now, we still don't have a good enough map system for it. S-Sorry."

"It's fine," Chara said. "Thanks anyway. I'll see you later."

She hung up the phone, pocketing it after she'd saved Alphys' number. She continued walking through the Core, Frisk beside her.

"Do you… still get nightmares about that day?" Frisk asked solemnly.

"Which one?" Chara asked.

"The day I died," Frisk said.

"Not as much as I used to," Chara said. "Of course, whenever I did, I found myself sandwiched between a fish and a fuzzy goat."

"That's good," Frisk said. "It's good you could find someone to comfort you when I passed."

"You haven't passed yet," Chara said. "And you're not going to."

"You sound so confident." Frisk said. "You don't even know if Alphys can do it."

"I've got the confidence to put faith in her," Chara said. "Of course, Doctor Gaster could without a doubt, but he's gone. I'm not sure how to bring him back."

"There may be a way," Frisk said. "Not that I know of one."

"We'll work on it." Chara said. "But first, you."

"First, your dad," Frisk said.

"Right," Chara said. "I suppose this stupid Core layout would give us time to talk."

"Ooh, therapy," Frisk said. "Well, I guess I got a loooooot of things to get off my chest."

"Me too," Chara said.

"Well, this should be an interesting ride." Frisk said.

The two came to a fork in the path. A sign was in the middle.

"This way to the warrior's path," Chara read. "This way to the sage's path. All lead to the End."

"Why is End capitalized?" Frisk asked.

"It's the end of the underground. My dad suuuuuuucks at naming things," Chara said. "He named the Ruins 'Home' before it became so run down. Then, his castle sits in 'New Home'."

"I see," Frisk said.

"Not really," Chara chuckled. "Asriel is just a mix of his and mom's names."

"So, by that logic," That flirtatious smirk Frisk was well known for spread across her face. "By that logic, if we had a kid, we'd name them Charisk."

Chara stopped dead still, her mouth slightly open as a red blush began to creep up her cheeks and warm them up considerably. Frisk was doubled over in laughter at this point, fully amused by the question and Chara's reaction to it.

"Oh, look at your face!" She said, Chara crossing her arms and grumbling. "It's so priceless."

Chara sighed, knowing that at least Frisk was being happy instead of tortured by Chara's hatred. She was still making her jokes.

"Ha ha," Chara said. "I'm sure it would. Of course, you know that wouldn't work out."

"Well, whatever." Frisk shrugged. "Let's take the warrior's path because you still suck at puzzles."

"I do not," Chara said.

"Name one besides Papyrus' that he fudged up the execution on that you actually solved with no help." Frisk said.

"Uh… the crossword?" Chara asked.

"Nice try," Frisk said. "But, let's take the path of least resistance."

Chara picked the sage's path and, after about an hour of trying the puzzle, she managed to succeed. Taking the runaround, she picked up a nice looking G from a trash can.

"Why was that in a trash can?" Frisk asked. "And, why did you pick it up?"

"Not just gonna let it go to waste," Chara said. "Besides, I might want a chocolate bar in New Home."

"Fine with me," Frisk said. "So, how close are we to the exit?"

"Really close." Chara said as they walked up to an elevator with a door next to it. She walked into the door.

"Why not the elevator?" Frisk asked.

"It only goes back to the beginning of the Core." Chara said. Inside the room stood Mettaton, who was posing in a fabulous way.

"Hello, darling," He said, waving. "I was just posing for my amazing portraits and for our glorious battle."

"Excuse you?" Chara asked.

"Well," Mettaton said. "I'm sure the audience would love to see the brave robot battle the royal princess."

"You're playing it up, huh?" Chara crossed her arms. "Still not feeling up to the challenge."

"Well, flip the switch on my back and you'll have your challenge." Mettaton said tauntingly. "But, be warned, darling: I'm at my strongest when it's flipped."

Chara walked around the robot, flipping the switch. Immediately, Mettaton began to spark and bits and pieces of him began to explode off. Chara, in minor concern that she'd actually killed him, tried to flip it back, only for her to be blown backwards by an explosion of lights and glory.

Smoke poured out from the robot, filling the air and masking the new being that stepped up. Chara tried to peer through the smoke to see who or what it was, but was unable to.

"Oh yeah!" Came a voice that sounded like Mettaton, but… different somehow. Chara's eyes widened as she saw the new form of the robot. He looked like a human almost.

He had black legs like boots and his arms were the same. He had wide shoulder pads and flowing black hair that covered an eye. His eye(s) were purple, glowing with his robotic charms. He had an upside down heart in the middle of his chest and his chest area was purple.

"Hello, darlings," He said to Chara. "It's time for my… grand debut."

"That's not his most powerful form," Frisk said. "But, it's still pretty powerful. Best be careful here."

"So, you want to get fancy, huh?" Chara chuckled. "Well, I suppose I should respond in kind."

She concentrated, feeling the Core's magic flow through her. Her own magic exploded, cloaking her in a brilliant spiral of flames that died down to reveal her, flames bursting from her eye as she smirked.

"Impressive, darling, Mettaton chuckled. "Now, let's make it glorious."

"I'm surprised you're able to have this much control," Frisk said.

"I remembered the stars," Chara said, taking a step towards Mettaton. "Now, Mettaton, let's make this something the Underground can see and hope for."

"Give it your all, darling," Mettaton said. "At least, as much as you can. I know I can put out more."

"You should flirt with him," Frisk snickered.

"I have a better idea," Chara said. "Let's see what you've got. You can't even touch me, Mettaton."

"I'll show you, darling," Mettaton said. "Let's begin."

Mettaton reached for Chara, Chara dodging with some ease.

She ran to the back of the room, not to avoid him, but to get a running charge. She tackled him to the ground, pinning him down.

"Now, flirt!" Frisk said, getting a little excited.

"What is wrong with you?" Chara asked her Mettaton looking on in confusion.

"Uh, darling," He said. "Are you going to get off of me? As much as I'm all for this, it is daytime television after—"

Chara ended that sentence with a sock to his face.

"We are never doing that!" She exclaimed, jumping off.

"Seems I'll have to get a bit more challenging," Mettaton said, snapping his fingers as several miniature versions of his previous form flew in from all around the room, shooting at Chara. She dodged, managing to avoid them for a bit.

"Pretty sure they'll only sting," Frisk said. "But, avoid them anyway."

Chara managed to avoid them all… except one. One of them grazed her, ripping the arm of her sweater. Her eyes widened as she looked at it. Her arm was unscathed, but she looked at Mettaton.

"Oh, don't worry, darling," Mettaton said, trying to placate anything that might happen; he was well aware of the human princess's legendary temper when provoked, almost as bad as that of the former queen's. "I'll, uh, get you a new one. It'll have my face and everything."

"This sweater," Chara said, her voice seething with rage. "Was made by me and my mom. I modeled it after the sweater that my closest friend wore except in color alone. Do you know what I'm going to do to you for this?"

"F-Forgive me, darling?" Mettaton asked, gulping.

"I'm gonna fucking SCRAP you!" She exclaimed, the fires surrounding her bursting forth in tandem with her rage. She ran towards the robotic host, who did the smart thing and began to run away from her.

 _With Asgore_

"I forgot to watch that Mettaton episode today," The king said, sighing. "I promised Alphys that I would. Well, at least I recorded it so that I could watch it. I'll just watch today's and then the recorded one later."

He turned on the TV in his house, sitting in the chair he'd had there for years. It felt… odd to sit in it, but he decided to do so anyway. Turning on the TV, he was greeted to the sight of a human in a green and yellow sweater chasing around Mettaton while throwing fireballs at him.

"Reminds me of Tori," He chuckled. "Except… that human… she looks like…"

Immediately, he shut the TV off. He just couldn't continue watching. He didn't know why Mettaton was doing this, but he supposed there was a good reason. He walked back to his garden, deciding to just ask Alphys what was on it later.

 _With Undyne, Papyrus, and Sans_

"Get the TV ready, Sans!" Undyne shouted. "I wanna see if Chara's on Mettaton's show again!"

" _Gill_ out, Undyne," Sans said, dodging to avoid the spear thrown in his direction. "I gotta fix the antenna."

There was a knock at the door. Papyrus ran up to get it. On the other side was Toriel, who was smiling at him.

"HELLO, MISS GOAT LADY!" He exclaimed. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN HELP YOU TO FIND THE CORRECT ADDRESS IF YOU ARE LOST!"

"Oh, that's quite alright, Papyrus, dear," Toriel chuckled.

"Lady T!" Undyne exclaimed, moving over. "So great to see you in person again!"

"Hello, Undyne," Toriel embraced the fish woman. "How are you?"

"Been great," Undyne said. "What brings you out here?"

"I'm going to go see Chara at Asgore's," Toriel said.

"Well, come on in, Tori," Sans said, gesturing her in. "I'm sure you _goat_ loads of time to chill. Plus it's cold as ice out there."

"I suppose I could stay for a minute," Toriel said. "It's not like Chara would get hurt heading through here."

"Yeah, right," Undyne gave a nervous chuckle, Sans beginning to sweat a little. "She's fine. Nothin' happened to her on my watch."

"Well, that's good," Toriel said. "I suppose she's already there?"

"Probably in Hotland," Undyne said. "Alphys said she was in the Core and called her."

"I see," Toriel said.

"Well, we're about to watch the latest episode of Mettaton," Sans said. "Wanna stay?"

"For a bit," Toriel said, nodding. "I'll even make you dinner."

"IT IS ALRIGHT, MISS GOAT LADY!" Papyrus said. "I WAS PLANNING ON MAKING SPAGHETTI! THOUGH, YOU REMIND ME OF KING ASGORE!"

"Well, there's a good explanation for that," Toriel said. "But, I wouldn't like to say. Well, how are you all?"

"Great," Sans said, finally fixing the TV. "Aaaand, done. Let's see if Chara got on another episode."

The TV turned on to reveal Chara straddling Mettaton's chest as she repeatedly punched him in the face, censored profanities coming out of her mouth left and right.

"You _redacted_ piece of metal scrap!" Could be heard as Sans covered Papyrus… ears? "I'm going to rip out your _redacted_ Core and shove it so far up your _redacted_ it'll be behind your eyes! This was one of the three most important items I possess and you _redacted_ tore it!"

Toriel's mouth was agape with her shock as Chara gave Mettaton his beating. Undyne was cheering her on, yelling for her to suplex him.

"Seems like Mettaton pissed her off," Sans said. "Figured that'd be a bit harder to do… of course it is Mettaton. Bet she's been holding that in for a while."

"I think I should go and see her right now." Toriel said. "I need to make sure she doesn't hurt anyone or her father doesn't hurt her."

"Why would he… oh, right," Sans said. "Well, I'm sure she'll be fine. I mean, you recognized her."

"Neither of us wanted to believe it was Chara at first," Undyne said. "I don't think Asgore will either. Unfortunately, unlike with me, Asgore wouldn't easily stop his attacks."

"You attacked Chara?" Toriel turned towards her.

"Only like we used to," Undyne said. "Nobody got hurt."

"Yep," Sans said, grabbing a ketchup with his magic. "Nobody got hurt."

"But, she was busy," Toriel said. "Doesn't seem like her… especially not now."

"What do you mean?" Undyne asked.

"She was so terrified I'd hate her for getting Asriel killed that she didn't even tell me it was her when I first saw her."

"Wow," Undyne said. "I… wonder how she's gonna take it with her old man."

"That is my concern," Toriel sighed. "I hope he isn't in a mood. I don't think she would try to stop him from killing her if it came to it."

"Why not?" Undyne made to stand up.

"Her guilt," Toriel said. "That is why I am going. If I didn't recognize her at first, he probably won't either."

 _With Chara_

Chara was still landing blows on Mettaton's face, causing several dents to it. Mettaton glanced at the ratings chart nearby, shocked at it.

"Hold on, darling!" Mettaton shouted. "Look at those ratings!"

"I… what the hell is wrong with you?" Chara asked. "I'm punching your face."

"But, look!" Mettaton shouted. "I've never gotten so high a rating here before. We should take some calls. I… I understand your anger with me… the punches helped. But… I truly am sorry. I understand what it means to lose something made by someone you care about."

"I… I guess I'm sorry I punched you a lot," Chara said. "And, I suppose mom and me could fix the sweater. It's just…"

"Save it, darling," Mettaton said. "I already know the story. You told me, remember?"

"What?" Chara asked. "Who are… Happy?!"

"Surprise, darling." Mettaton laughed in his robotic voice. "I'm surprised you didn't recognize me by my voice."

"Yeah, that's why," Chara rolled her eyes, getting off of him and helping him up. "But, I guess you know it. So, uh… no hard feelings, right?"

"Of course not, darling," Mettaton said. "But, you should go see your old man. I heard that he watched some of the show."

"Thanks, Happy," Chara nodded. "And good luck on your career."

"Thank you, darling." Mettaton said before he fell over.

"Happy?" Chara knelt down as Alphys ran in, holding a stretcher.

"D-Don't worry," She said, putting him on it. "H-He just ran out of batteries. H-He'll be fine. I-I still haven't gotten the bugs fixed y-yet. I-I ran here to get him after. I-I would like that, Ch-Chara. T-To talk, I mean."

"Alright," Chara nodded. "I'll be back."

She walked ahead, entering the elevator to New Home.

"This place is somber" Frisk said, looking around. "Too quiet even."

"It is, isn't it?" Chara asked. "Well, how are you doing?"

"I've managed to hold back the hatred for a bit," Frisk said. "Probably not for long, but maybe."

Chara nodded, walking through the grey area. It didn't get any quieter or louder. It just stayed the same. Suddenly, a monster showed up, talking to Chara.

"A long time ago, the humans sealed us up," She said before leaving.

"We journeyed to where we are now," Another said, appearing.

"Soon, a human fell," A third said.

"Wait," Chara said, looking down. "Can you not tell the story? I… I know that one."

"You… you know of the tragic day?" The monsters asked.

"I was there," Chara walked by. "I caused it. Please excuse me. I'm going to see my dad."

"But… to cross the barrier, you'll have to kill King Asgore," One of the monsters, a Loox, said.

"My dad is King Asgore," Chara said. "I could never kill him."

The monsters just looked at her, watching the first fallen human walk away.

Eventually, Chara came to a house that looked exactly like Toriel's.

"It's almost ironic," Frisk said.

"I wonder if dad actually got any chocolate," Chara said, entering the house. "Dad, you in here?!"

The house was quiet and empty, a note lying on the chain blocking the basement off.

"Looks like he locked it up again," Chara said. "Gotta find the keys."

"You could just hop it… oh, I get it." Frisk said.

"What?" Chara asked her companion.

"You want to explore the house, don't you?" Frisk asked.

Chara sighed, nodding. She walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge. She sighed as she saw there were no chocolate bars in it.

"Of course not," She said. "But, whatever."

"He clearly wants your mom's pie" Frisk said. "He's got about a hundred different recipes scribbled out on that book over there."

"He never could cook it," Chara said. "Glad mom gave me a piece for him."

"How has that survived?" Frisk asked.

"Magic," Chara said.

"Fair enough," Frisk sighed. "Well, there's a key in the sink."

"Sweet," Chara said, taking it. She walked into the hall, entering the first door on the left.

"Your room looks exactly like Toriel's room in your house minus the other bed." Frisk said.

"It's also purple in there," Chara said.

"Right," Frisk said. "What's in that box on the ground?"

"If I'm right," Chara said, opening it to reveal a collapsible blade of a red metal that looked finely crafted. "It's the blade Asriel also gave me."

"Why would he do that?" Frisk asked.

"I was fascinated by them," Chara said. "From Undyne's spears to a sword to dad's trident. It wasn't about their killing capabilities, it was their craftsmanship. Though… I used this blade sometimes for… less than healthy purposes."

"I saw the scars," Frisk said. "I know what you did."

"Yeah…" Chara said. "Don't tell my parents, alright?"

"They don't know?" Frisk asked.

"No," Chara said. "Only Asriel and Undyne knew. I… I was too scared to tell mom and dad."

"I understand," Frisk said. "So, are you going to take it?"

"Yeah, I guess," Chara said. "Feels sentimental after all."

"You gonna take another nap?" Frisk snickered. "Most of this journey has involved you sleeping."

"Ha ha," Chara said. "By the way, you're surprisingly normal and not hate covered."

"I think… you're starting to let go of your hatred," Frisk smiled, cupping her cheek. "It's making me more stable."

"I… I guess with you, there's less of a reason to hate," Chara said, with a sad chuckle. "But, let's find that other key."

Frisk nodded as Chara pocketed the knife, heading to the end of the hall. She looked in the mirror there, seeing her face and clothes. They were a good deal dirtier than before and there was the ghostly image of Frisk next to her.

"Despite everything, it's still you," Frisk said. "So much more gorgeous than I remember."

"Stop it," Chara said, cheeks tinges with pink. "Now, let's find dad. I got the key. I see it next to this plant."

She took the key, pocketing it and heading out through the basement. She walked through until she made it to a golden lit hallway. Both she and Frisk shuddered. They knew what was coming.

Chara walked in, taking a glance around at the somber hallway. She'd been present for several of its… uses, but she'd never liked it all that much. She looked around, seeing the blood and dust that lay in the corners. Of course, she didn't know who the Judge was this time around, but she had known the previous. Whether or not they were still around was something to be discovered. Frisk retreated into Chara's SOUL, knowing what to expect.

Chara walked to the middle of the Judgement Hall, hearing something behind her. She turned around to see what it was. When she turned back, she saw Sans standing there, hands in his pockets. Immediately, Chara knew what he was. The two looked at each other, Chara's ribbon blowing slightly in the breeze that wafted through the windows.

"So," She said. "You're the Judge."

"Yep," Sans said. "How's it feel to know that?"

"Normal," Chara said. "But… it—"

Chara dropped to her knees, clutching her head in pain as she felt a flood of memories rush back into her head. She saw Sans, saw Frisk, saw… blood and death.

"You…" She managed to strain out. "You're the one who…"

"You guessed it, kid," Sans said. "Of course, I somehow remember all this stuff, so don't get too upset. You went through a rampage of the Underground after all."

"What are you going to do?" Chara asked, still clutching her head as she looked up at him. "Kill me?"

"As much as the thought would be entertaining," Sans said. "We both know how little good that does. Plus, it ain't like you killed any monsters. Also, your parents would murder me if I did that."

"Seems you're good at your job," Chara said.

"Seems you're a bit different than the old stories," He said as Chara's headache stopped. "You look a lot like the one who traipsed through the Underground on a killing spree."

"I modelled this sweater after hers," Chara said, walking past him. "Now, I have an appointment with my father."

"Be careful, kid," Sans said, teleporting away. "You ain't the only one with things they hold dear."

"I'll be resting," Frisk said. "You should be alone with him anyway."

Chara walked into the throne room where Asgore was watering some flowers. His back was to Chara, but even hunched over like he was, he still towered over the sixteen year old. Chara, as timid as a young child, went over and pulled on his cape a little, the same fears she'd had when meeting Toriel rising back to the surface as she suddenly became very afraid of what he'd say to her.

"Just a minute," Asgore said in his big deep voice that Chara missed so dearly. "I'm almost done watering this plant. It's been thirsty, so I'm trying to get it all the water it needs."

After about a full minute, he stood up, rising to almost twice Chara's height. He turned around, looking down. The smile on his face faltered as he looked at Chara, a strange expression covering his face. Chara was looking down, trying her best to hide her fears and watering eyes.

"I… I see," Asgore said with a heavy sigh. "I figured that you would come to see me."

"Dad…" Chara said, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked up at him. Asgore looked at her, their eyes meeting as he simply looked at her.

"I… I'm sure you know what has to happen," Asgore sighed. "I'm sure you're aware of how you have to escape."

"I don't want to leave," Chara said, her voice choking up as she looked down. "I want to see you."

"Human…" Asgore said, looking down in shame. "I'm sure you were told what I have done to the rest. I'm sure you're afraid of what will happen now."

"Please dad," Chara said, looking up at him again as her tears began streaming down her face. "I don't want to fight you. Please don't make me."

"I…" Asgore said, clearly taken aback by her addressing of him. "Human… I am sorry. It can't be any other way. I must think of my people."

"But, dad," Chara said, latching onto him. "It's me, Chara. Please don't hate me."

"Ch-Chara?" Asgore asked. "I… I'm sorry… I don't recognize you. You… You can't be Chara. She's been dead."

"It's me, dad," Chara said, holding onto him tighter. "Please believe me."

"If you are Chara," Asgore looked down. "Please tell me the story that Chara entrusted to me."

Chara looked up at him, knowing the exact story he was referring to. She sighed, beginning the story.

"On the surface, I didn't have the best life," She said, knowing that Asgore was to be trusted with it, as she had trusted him with guarding the uncensored version. "I was… tortured. I was born with red eyes and everyone labeled me a demon. They would cut me, burn me, and beat me, all in the name of keeping me at bay. They wouldn't feed me and they wouldn't clothe me."

She could see Asgore's hands clenching, but she knew it wasn't directed towards her. It gave her some hope that he would recognize her. She could feel Frisk's sorrow as well, knowing that the ghost knew of all her pain.

"Until I was four, I was their… plaything." Chara said in a shuddering whisper. "They treated me like something lower than an animal. I was constantly covered in cuts, burns, and bruises with no time to recover from them. The only time I could be free from them was when they were gathered for their town meetings. They would lock me in a dark cellar with iron chains as 'demonic warding'."

Asgore was trembling with rage, just as Chara had seen him do the first time she had told this story. It was the first time she'd seen him angry… well, aside from when he'd first seen her body.

"I once escaped." Chara continued. "I made it into the woods where I cried myself to near sleep. However, someone picked me up. It was a human. I was so scared that they were going to hurt me, but she didn't. She treated me with nothing short of genuine kindness. She… she even called me her little angel. She's… she's everything to me. She taught me how to read… how to write, she showed me the stars and the sky. She let me live a life I'd never known. But… one day, two years later when I was six, the humans found her."

Chara paused, looking at Asgore to see his expression. He was angry, truly angry.

"They killed her," Chara said, tears continuing to stream down her face. "In one of the most brutal and horrendous ways possible, claiming she was a witch and a caster. Then… they threw her body down the mountain, Mount Ebbot. I… I couldn't live without her… they continuously tortured me after that. But… they wouldn't let me die. They wanted me to suffer more. One day… I managed to escape. I dragged my wounded body up Mount Ebbot and fell into the hole. I… I didn't want to live, not if I couldn't have Frisk. And… well, you know the rest. Asriel found the unconscious, bleeding, naked child lying in the flowers and got you and mom…"

Those big strong arms that had been one of her sources of comfort wrapped around her, holding her close. She looked up at Asgore to see the tears in his own eyes.

"My child," He said. "You have come back. I am so happy to see you. I… this feels like a dream. But, I hope it isn't."

"It isn't, dad," Chara hugged him tightly. He released her, his cape moving aside to reveal the sweater he was wearing. It was pink and had the words "Mr. Dad Guy" in golden cursive, knitted by Chara (with Toriel's help).

"You…" Chara said. "You're wearing the sweater I made you."

"It is my most treasured possession," Asgore said with a smile. "That and the headband Asriel gave me. And the spear Undyne had made me."

"I… I love you, dad," Chara hugged him again.

"I love you too, Chara," Asgore said. "So much."

"I thought…" Chara said hesitantly. "That you'd be mad I got Asriel killed."

"Chara," Asgore said. "You had only the noblest of intentions when you enacted that plan."

"You… you knew?" Chara asked.

"I did," Asgore sighed. "But, I didn't tell your mother because I didn't want her to think that you did it on purpose. Her heart wouldn't be able to take it. When I saw the buttercups, I knew."

"Right," Chara nodded. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Asgore pat her. "Now, let's sit down and eat. I know it won't be as good as your mother's cooking, but I'll try my best."

"Actually, I got some of her cooking right here," Chara said, pulling the pie out and handing it to him. His eyes began to water further as he looked at it.

"She… she made me a piece of pie?" He asked.

"She did," Chara said, nodding. "She told me it was special for you."

"Well, I think we can go and eat this, in the house, Cha—" Asgore began before thousands of magic bullets impaled him at a speed neither of them saw coming. He crumpled to the floor, Chara trying to support him.

"Dad!" She exclaimed. "Quick, eat the pie!"

"Chara," Asgore told her in a wavering voice. "Tell your mother… I still love her."

With that, his body turned to dust, his SOUL emerging. Chara looked at it, her eyes beginning to cry black tears as she reached for the SOUL. She was going to take it and exact the most painful revenge on whoever dared to—

But, before she could, another magic bullet pierced his SOUL, shattering it.

"Daaaad!" Chara let loose a wail as she saw him… the first being she'd seen when she woke up. Flowey was right in front of her, smiling an evil smile that only showed hatred.

"You… you… killed him." Chara said, looking down at him with shock and hatred.

"Of course, Chara," Flowey laughed. "I told you it's kill or be killed. I needed him out of the way so I could get my prize."

"Prize?" Chara growled, reaching for him, but he ducked under the ground, popping up behind her.

"Exactly," Flowey laughed harder. "What's he been guarding this whole time?"

"Guarding?" Chara asked as realization dawned on her. Her eyes widened as six SOULs began to circle Flowey. There was a light blue SOUL, an orange SOUL, a dark blue SOUL, a purple SOUL, a green SOUL, and a yellow SOUL. They began to draw closer to Flowey as he began to absorb them.

"NO!" Chara rushed to grab them before he could get them, but they fully absorbed into him. Chara was blown backward as the world went black around her, but not from her unconsciousness.

* * *

And, here we've come to the finale of the neutral run portion. Next chapter will be the fight against Flowey and I have some interesting ideas planned for it. I hope you enjoy it.

Frisk's death is something I needed to address here because it was pointed out to me that if Frisk died, how'd she get to do the genocide run thirty years later. I already knew how, but I hadn't mentioned it in here. If you have any questions, let me know.

I know I rushed through the Core and New Home, but there's really nothing to the Core besides Mettaton and New Home just retells the story Chara already lived. I wanted to get to the meeting of Asgore and Chara because I wanted to have it be the end of this chapter and transition to the Flowey fight.


	7. SOUL Searching

Chapter Six: SOUL Searching

The world itself seemed to become a black void, holding nothing in its existence and being as black as the hatred Chara held towards humans. She stood, imagining herself in unconsciousness, but she could feel… somehow… that this was different. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she could just… tell. She could tell that she was looking into a void.

Frisk stayed hidden in Chara's SOUL, the princess assuming she was just staying away from the evil spewing from this void the damned flower had likely created.

Chara walked forward, taking a look around her. She knew there was a wall nearby, but she couldn't feel it at all, no matter how far she walked. She knew that if she didn't hit the wall, she'd hit a walkway.

Her footsteps made no sound. If she were truly in New Home or the throne room, she would have heard the crunch of flowers or the sound of her footsteps on stone. Hell, she would likely have heard that ominous, dreadful sound of her footsteps in Judgement Hall. However, she couldn't hear anything. It was like there wasn't anything for her to step on. She looked around for any sign of life.

The thought had occurred to her that she might be in the afterlife. But… where was Asriel? Or her dad for that matter? This… couldn't be the afterlife. Could it?

Chara eventually stumbled upon a glowing yellow star that had five points. She'd heard of these odd manifestations of power, which were very, very rare. They were said to heal any and all injuries and bring one's magic instantly back up to full regardless of previous damage or affliction. No monster magic could claim that, even the pies her mom made, which were said to fully heal.

She reached for it to touch it, expecting to use it to make herself healed. However, it began to morph into a smile, the smile becoming Flowey's head. It was much, much bigger than Flowey's head, though, and seemed to be on a TV screen. Chara took a step back in shock as she saw it.

"Hello, dear Chara," Flowey said. "I was waiting for you."

The flower's face popped in and out, almost as if it were having static. Chara tried to punch it, but she was smacked backward by some unknown force. Flowey laughed at her. Chara covered her ears, clenching her eyes shut at the sheer volume of it. It boomed in her ears, causing her to hold her ears tightly closed. She couldn't escape it. Eventually, it stopped, the princess looking at the flower.

"I waited for you for a long time," Flowey said, smiling a 'sweet' smile. "I wanted to see you so badly. I knew that you had the DETERMINATION to wake up. But, I never expected you to be so much of a pussy."

"And, I never expected a flower to be such a bitch," Chara said. "You killed my dad when he had his guard down."

"Not like I haven't tried to do it when his guard is up," The flower cackled again. "But, I knew you would be the key to my victory one way or another. I knew it the moment I saw your little SOULmate come tearing through the Underground on her killing spree. I actually mistook her for you, Chara. Boy, was I wrong. Good thing you managed to turn it all back, huh?"

"I'll put you in the ground for good," Chara growled. "I promise you that."

"Oh, Chara, Chara, Chara," Flowey chuckled. "You'd never be able to do that. Even if it weren't for my six SOULs."

"And, why would that be?" Chara asked, a couple sparks emitting from her eye, her magic exhausted from defending her from whatever this void was as well as her fight with Mettaton.

"You'll just have to kill me to find out," Flowey grinned. "But… can you? Oh, wait, you can't. I'm more powerful than you'll ever be and I'll soon be even more so."

"You may have six SOULs, but I won't let you get a seventh," Chara said. "That I can promise you."

"You IDIOT!" Flowey laughed again. "You can't defeat me! I have six SOULs. You're going to burn like the rest. I'll enjoy killing you over and over again. And then, after I've had my fun with you, I'll take your SOUL. The other six are wriggling inside of me. I'm sure yours is aching to join them."

"If you want to see me dead," Chara walked toward him. "You better have one hell of a power boost because I'm going to burn you for killing my dad."

"Bring it on, you little piece of shit," Flowey laughed, the world turning a bloody red color as a monstrosity was revealed to be attached to the TV screen. He had vines crawling everywhere on him and had two monstrous hands that seemed to resemble Asgore's in look only.

A large mouth of a disgusting and distorted shape was just below the screen, horrible teeth in it that simply looked disgusting. Six large holes were encircled with vines, oddly showing off a place the SOULs might be. Chara felt absolutely sickened at this disgusting freak the flower had become. His form did spark something intriguing in her memory. She thought she'd seen this form elsewhere… somewhere she'd been before.

Flowey looked at her, beginning to laugh a much more terrifying laugh than before as his eyes split like a cat's to become red and bloody. He seemed to emerge from the TV screen, pulsating and bubbling. Chara took a step back, horrified. She then regained her composure as she felt the anger she had for him killing her dad.

She clenched her fists, feeling angrier as she stared him down. The two looked at each other, the two beings with the most DETERMINATION in the Underground, possibly the world. Chara felt her tears drip down her face as she looked up at the flower. Flowey just grinned evilly as he twitched like some monstrosity from a horror movie. The vines around him began to contort and move as if fully living and independent.

The entire void they stood in seemed to quake a little at their DETERMINATION, almost as if it couldn't handle seven human SOULs pulsing for combat.

Chara's SOUL burst forth from her locket, beating loudly like her own heart. Flowey stared at the locket for a second, shifting his attention to Chara once again.

"I'm going to enjoy this." He laughed, the large, vine covered hands reaching for her. She dodged, moving forward, her anger pushing her forward. She made an impressive jump, managing to make it up to the mouth that felt oddly smooth. She pulled herself up to the TV screen, avoiding the vines that were reaching for her. She began punching the TV screen, yelling with her rage and sorrow.

"Don't you get it, Chara?!" Flowey's vines grabbed her wrists, spreading her arms wide. "You're unable to do anything against me. I have six SOULs and you only have one. The vines began to stretch the princess, causing her to scream in pain.

Chara felt the vines crushing her limbs and pulling them apart as the flower monster only laughed, a wicked glee in his eyes.

"I've been without a SOUL so long I've forgotten how to feel," He said. "But, hearing your screams is making me feel glee."

Several of the vines twisted together, becoming sharper than almost any knife. They shot straight through Chara's SOUL and chest. Chara spat out blood, her head lolling forward as Flowey continued to pull at her limbs. The fire in Chara's eyes faded, as she felt herself pass into blackness. She could hear Frisk's voice in her head, screaming out her name as she felt her SOUL shatter.

However, before she fully passed into the light, she felt her SOUL be forced back together as if it were crushed in a compactor. She felt her chest painfully knit itself back together as her blood forced itself back into her body. The pain was still there, but she felt her consciousness be yanked back.

She continued to scream from the pain of the piercing she had gotten as her SOUL rapidly regenerated.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you over and over again," Flowey cackled. He wrapped his vines around her, beginning to squeeze her like a grape. Chara felt every one of her bones crack, her body forcing air out of her lungs as she suddenly felt the pain end. Her SOUL shattered once again and she felt herself be dragged into the light.

But just as quickly as she was dragged into it, she was painfully dragged back, all the pain still there.

Flowey's enormous mouth opened, firing a blast at Chara that incinerated her. For ten agonizing seconds, Chara felt the pain of the burns as her flesh was torn or burned off, her muscles following. Her SOUL shattered as her skeleton clattered to the ground. Flowey laughed, using the power of the SOULs once again to revive her.

Chara dropped to her knees, sobbing as she felt the pain from each injury compounded with the injuries she'd suffered from her childhood. She could tell, just by feeling, that this flower was of the same breed, a true force of evil. She saw no hope of winning against this, but she knew that someone or something like this mustn't exist. She… she had to try. For the whole Underground, she had to try.

She stood shakily to her knees, her face stained with tears and blood as Flowey just laughed.

"Every time I kill you, I simply bring you back," He cackled. "I can do this for all eternity. You truly don't understand me at all. You haven't understood anything I told you! Well, I think you're going to need a much more painful lesson."

He began shooting vines all over the place, all of them impaling Chara in some place. They forced her arms to spread wide, Flowey firing thousands of magic shots at Chara. Screaming in pain, Chara was hit by most of them, the magic leaving burns and cuts everywhere.

Flowey only laughed and shot more, a giant Venus Fly Trap appearing next to Chara. Thousands of insects flocked toward it, some of them beginning to sting and bite Chara. Flowey dropped her on the ground, the vines yanking themselves out of her body, trails of blood following them as Chara just lay on the ground.

"Do you not understand now why I'm so much more than you'll ever be?" Flowey loomed over her. He laughed as Chara tried to stand, but collapsed to the ground.

"Your DETERMINATION; your most powerful quality," Flowey snickered. "It will be your downfall. The fact you're so DETERMINED to defeat me will be the reason you will suffer. It's funny, you could have avoided all of this if you had just stayed with good old mommy dearest. Well, I suppose when I'm done with you, I should tell her what's happened to her sweet little child."

"Don't… d-don't touch her," Chara said, weakly looking up at the flower monster.

"Oh, Chara, Chara, Chara," Flowey laughed. "You're in no position to stop me. I'm going to tell her all the painful and fun ways that I destroyed you. I wonder which one will horrify her more. But, I suppose that's an idea I'll figure out when I see her. But, I'm sure you know what the truth is: she never really loved you."

"You… she did," Chara said.

"She just pretended because she felt sorry for you," Flowey laughed. "There was no love for you in her heart, especially now. She would have loved you if you hadn't said your real name back there."

"N-No," Chara said, the horrible thoughts she'd had when she'd reunited with her parents returning with tears. "That's not true…"

"Everyone who's ever shown you kindness," Flowey said. "They didn't do it out of genuine love. They only did it because their consciences wouldn't let them sleep at night."

"N-No," Chara said, shaking her head weakly. "That's not true."

"Even that human who claimed to love you," Flowey grinned evilly. "She truly thought you were a monster, but she never would say it to your face. You disgusted her."

"SHUT UP!" Chara exclaimed, her hair falling in front of her eyes as she pushed herself to a very unstable standing position. She pulled out the pie she had tried to get Asgore to eat earlier. Flowey's face turned to shock as she ate it, all of her wounds regenerating. She faced Flowey as her eye burst forth with her magic.

"You almost had me," Chara said, glaring at him and feeling Frisk's presence, which strengthened her resolve. "But, then you mentioned Frisk. That was when I knew you were full of shit. You're going to burn in hell for what you did to my dad."

Flowey laughed, his vines grabbing Chara and wrapping around her SOUL. They yanked it out of her body, said body going limp as Flowey ate her SOUL. Frisk shouted Chara's name, the princess of monsters not responding.

Flowey laughed, staring down at the body of Chara.

The princess, however, found herself in a strange area. It was still the same blackness that she was in before but it was… different. She looked down to see herself, the last thing she remembered was her SOUL being yanked from her body. She gasped to see she was red. Not with blood, her body was purely red, the same color as her eyes, and seemed to be unlike flesh.

She concentrated on herself, realizing that she was only her SOUL her body outside the flower's own body. She was held within the flower, his prisoner. But, she realized that something was different. The room now had a slight glow to it. It was a light blue color, the same color that one of those SOULs was that Flowey absorbed.

Walking up to her was a human that was light blue, just as she was. Chara narrowed her eyes at this human, knowing that something seemed… off with them.

The human looked at Chara, rushing for her with a speed Chara didn't expect. Chara dodged, the human pulling out a knife and slashing at her. Chara jumped backward, surprised that she seemed to have more strength than she had before this.

The human threw the knife they were holding, slashing Chara's arm. Chara cried out in pain, seeing that her arm was cracking rather than bleeding. The SOUL waved their hand, the knife returning with such speed that Chara only barely dodged.

The light blue human then rushed for Chara, slicing and slashing with a flurry of speed. Chara kept moving backward, pulling out the dagger that Asriel had given her, watching as it showed a red color and seemed to burn with her emotions.

"Maybe if I kill you, the flower loses some of his power," Chara said, moving towards the human with her knife and slashing. Their blades collided with clangs as they faced each other, both of them aiming for vital spots.

Chara began to give in to her hatred of humanity, said hatred fueling her fighting. She continued to slash at the human, the human summoning thousands of blades from around her. They fired them at Chara, the princess jumping back and trying to dodge them. Several hit her, making new cracks on her body.

"What is going on here?" She asked herself. "Am I… just my SOUL… so that means I'm at my most vulnerable… these cracks mean I'm taking such heavy damage. I have to end this quick or else I'll be dead soon."

The light blue human stepped forward, the knives continuing to shoot towards Chara. Chara threw her own knife, watching as it hit dead center on the light blue human, the human giving a pained cry as a large crack appeared on their chest from where the knife hit. Chara smirked as she rushed forward, taking the opportunity to land a devastating punch to the face of the human. Larger cracks appeared as the human stepped back.

However, before Chara could land another, light blue ribbons came out from behind the human, wrapping themselves around Chara as more knives hit her. Cracks began to appear all over Chara's body as she screamed in pain.

" _Just give up,"_ The light blue human said as they stepped forward, the ribbons holding Chara. _"I did. You'll soon realize that it's pointless to keep going. Rush to the end and die."_

"I'll never let that flower get away with killing my dad," Chara said.

" _You will not ever understand why this is hard,"_ The light blue human said as Chara struggled against the ribbons. The human summoned more knives, sending them hurtling towards Chara.

However, Chara pulled hard back on the ribbons, yanking the human towards her. The human was impaled by the knives, their body becoming filled with cracks. The ribbons fell from around Chara, the princess kicking the damaged human in the back. The light blue human fell to the ground, turning around to see Chara hold up her own knife, plunging it into their chest.

A shriek was heard before the light blue human shattered, the pieces exploding everywhere. The area seemed a little brighter, a little less dark.

"Now…" Chara said to herself. "To get out of here. That was a bit more difficult than I thought. Hopefully, I can get out of here."

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. She turned to see a girl of about nine standing behind her. She was wearing a white dress and was barefoot. Her skin was fair, but nowhere near the pale shade Chara's normally was. Her hair was golden colored and her eyes were light blue, the color of ice. In her hair was a beautiful red ribbon that resembled the ribbon Chara was given by Toriel.

" _Thank you,"_ The human said, smiling wide at Chara. _"You have saved me from the evil of that flower's hatred. You didn't give up and that's the best part."_

"Who are you?" Chara asked.

" _It doesn't matter now,"_ The human said. _"You may just call me Patience now as that is my trait. I cannot thank you enough for that. I also notice you have my ribbon."_

"I suppose," Chara said.

" _It looks better on you, Chara,"_ Patience said.

"You do realize I was intending to kill you, right?" Chara asked.

" _Yes,"_ Patience nodded, still smiling. _"But, that's what I want. I want to move on, something that you don't want."_

"You're correct," Chara said. "But, how do I stop this flower?"

" _You must free my friends as well,"_ Patience said. _"They're suffering too. If you can free us all, not only will we help you stop this flower, we'll help you get a better ending as well. You'll have to be patient for it though."_

"This isn't a game," Chara said. "What do you mean?"

" _This isn't a game, no,"_ Patience said. _"But, we have the ability to send you backwards in time. But, you must defeat this flower first. Only then can you save him and everyone else as well as your SOULmate."_

"Why would I save this flower?" Chara asked.

" _There are things you will learn that will change your entire perspective,"_ Patience said. _"But, hurry. You must rescue my friends."_

"I should hate you," Chara said.

" _Your hatred is directed, but in your mind, you see us as having suffered,"_ Patience said. _"Which is making you feel less hateful. Now, please go and save them. I shall heal you."_

Chara felt the injuries she'd suffered from this fight fade away as the cracks in her SOUL mended. She looked at Patience, nodding and walking away. She came into another area of this prison, a slight orange glow appearing.

Chara saw an orange human walk forward, the room gaining a slight orange glow. Chara pocketed her knife, deciding to handle this with her fists. The human walked towards her, Chara noticing spikes on the gloves they wore. They threw a punch at Chara, who barely dodged. The punch itself gave off a shockwave.

"So, that's your skill," Chara said. "I'll have to get rough then too."

Chara walked forward, the human's fist glowing orange with an attack. Chara flinched, not moving so as to anticipate. However, the blow struck her, sending a shockwave through her that caused a huge crack to appear in her abdomen, spreading up her entire chest.

"So, you can use orange magic," Chara said. "Looks like I'll have to avoid that as well."

She moved forward, throwing a punch at the human's neck. However, the bandana they wore blocked it. Chara growled, swinging her leg around to kick the human, but the human was faster, punching Chara's leg.

" _You're just a coward,"_ They said throwing Chara to the ground. _"You're so afraid of letting go that you hold too tight. The only reason you're at this point is because they babied you."_

"Don't you psychoanalyze me!" Chara swung her legs around tripping the orange human before landing three hard punches, making some cracks on the orange human's skull.

" _I'll bet you can't even sleep well without the knowledge of their comfort,"_ The orange human said, punching Chara off of them with a hard punch to the face. _"You're so afraid of losing them, you'd rather them be trapped here for eternity."_

"SHUT UP!" Chara shouted, her magic exploding in a red fire. She ran towards the orange human, landing a punch that caused them to almost crack in half. She threw another punch, but the human dodged this one.

" _You're too afraid you can't save Frisk that you won't even tell her you can't,"_ The orange SOUL said, throwing a flurry of punches that Chara dodged with a good deal of effort. _"You're afraid of losing her, so you try not to think about it. You're afraid she'll snap again. You're afraid of being all alone."_

"I said, SHUT UP!" Chara threw a fireball that the orange human dodged, sending an orange magic attack towards Chara. Chara ran right through it, the orange human's punch hitting her in the jaw.

" _You're afraid of the flower that trapped you in here,"_ The orange human said. _"You're scared you'll never get out. It keeps you up at night, doesn't it?"_

"Go FUCK YOURSELF!" Chara shouted, grabbing the orange human's fist and hitting them with an uppercut that would have beheaded an actual human. The orange human fell to the ground, cracks rapidly covering their body.

"Stay dead!" Chara leapt forward, fire surrounding her body as she pulled back for a punch that had all of her hate and anger fueling it.

The orange human threw a punch that collided with Chara's, a shockwave resounding like an anime Undyne was into. Chara was thrown back, feeling herself crack more. The orange human stood, walking over to Chara, looking like an egg that had one too many smacks on the lip of a bowl during baking.

Chara stood, as hurt as she was, moving forward to throw a punch. The human tried to counter, but Chara switched to a kick, just like Undyne had taught her. She struck the human square in the head, shattering it. The human exploded into shards, the shards rising into the air.

Chara panted, looking down at herself. This fight had hurt her more than the last. If this was how it was going to be, how soon would it be before one of them managed to shatter her?

She turned to see a boy of about twelve look at her with a look of awe. He had hair that was as orange as the fruit it was named after. He was wearing the exact same kind of gloves that Chara was wearing as well as a yellow bandana with abs drawn on it. His eyes were orange as well and he was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. He wore tennis shoes, which had black laces.

" _That was really brave,"_ He stuck his hand out with a grin. _"You're no coward, Chara."_

Chara reluctantly shook the hand, feeling magic flow into her. She felt her cracks healing, making her whole again.

" _Call me Bravery,"_ The human said, grinning again. _"And, hey, you found my gloves I put in that box. Cool! My sister gave them to me. They used to be hers when she was into fighting. I've always wanted to be like her. But… well, you know."_

"And yet you climbed the mountain humans never return from," Chara said.

" _Y-Yeah…"_ Bravery said. _"Of course, my reason really is nowhere near as bad as yours. But, me and my sister climbed the mountain together and she and I met your dad…"_

"I'm not apologizing for two humans on his behalf," Chara said.

" _I don't expect you to,"_ Bravery said with a sigh. _"But, I suppose you are working on your feelings. Obviously, I can't apologize for what they did, but I can say not all humans are like that. And, you're brave, just like my sister, so I think you could handle humans."_

"I would rather do anything else," Chara said. "But, I suppose that if the Barrier is broken, I'll have to deal with it."

" _That's the spirit,"_ Bravery said. _"Just keep going and you'll free us all. I promise we'll help you. I'm sure Patience told you that."_

"Yes," Chara said.

She stared at the human, wondering if he was someone from her village. Orange hair wasn't uncommon there, but still.

" _I'm not from your village,"_ Bravery said. _"I know you think so, but I'm from far away. I think you'll do fine. Just… always try to be brave. Even when others around you can't. There are a lot of people who don't feel about monsters like you do."_

"I'm well aware of that fact," Chara said. "Now, where is the next human?"

" _That way,"_ Bravery said, pointing. _"Be careful. You're going to need to be careful."_

Chara sighed, walking in the pointed direction, ignoring the talking the orange human did. She knew there were four left, but she knew it would be a challenge.

As she continued to walk, she saw a darker blue glow than the first SOUL she'd encountered.

The dark blue human didn't waste any time, coming from above to level a kick that shook the ground around where they were. Chara barely dodged, feeling the power of the kick.

The dark blue SOUL rushed forward, lunging with a kick that nearly punctured Chara. Chara barely dodged this one; such was the speed of the dark blue human.

"You're not going to beat me that easily," Chara growled, kicking the human in the stomach. However, before her blow could make contact, powerful gravity magic threw her backwards, forcing her to flip backwards to right herself.

"So, you're going to play with magic, huh?" Chara growled. "Well, I'll not let you try much more of that."

She threw a fireball at the dark blue human, rushing forward to punch them. The human levelled a kick to Chara's face that sent her sprawling onto the ground. She couldn't shake the feeling that she might be outmatched here.

Suddenly, she felt herself be thrown around like a rag doll, the dark blue human waving their arm around to signify where Chara was going to be moving. Chara smashed against some invisible walls, finally being smashed onto the ground with dozens of cracks on her body.

" _They never loved you,"_ The dark blue human said. _"You were only a tool for them. They only needed a single human and you were that human."_

"Shut up," Chara stood, glaring right at the human. "I'm going to destroy you for even thinking to say that."

" _She secretly hated you,"_ The dark blue SOUL said. Chara gave a scream of rage, rushing for the dark blue human and throwing a flurry of flaming punches that the dark blue human dodged. They kicked Chara again, Chara feeling a blade on the shoes.

"Bladed, huh," She chuckled, feeling another crack. "Looks like I'll stop fighting fair now."

She ran towards the dark blue human, drawing her blade. The dark blue human threw her back with gravity magic, but Chara threw her blade before they could react. The blade struck them square in the chest, causing a spreading crack. Chara fell to the ground, feeling her shoulder crack.

She charged toward the human, pulling back her fist for a strike.

" _She wished you would leave,"_ The dark blue human said, what looked like a tutu forming and sprouting out feathers that blinded Chara, opening her for a kick from the human. _"You disgusted her."_

"Shut up!" Chara exclaimed, her fire surrounding her and burning the feathers as she grabbed the dark blue human, kicking the blade of her knife further into the chest of the dark blue human.

The dark blue human began to crack further, the princess grabbing them and smashing her head against theirs. Cracks appeared in it as the human kicked her back, cracking her chest. At this, the dark blue human began to dance, making the feathers appear more and more, beginning to move in an intricate pattern.

Chara began to try to dodge, but gravity magic began to hold her down, forcing her to move slower as the feathers also were affected. They seemed to be razor sharp, dancing via the gravity magic as the human danced. Chara felt them slice into her, which caused her to cry in pain.

She let loose more of her fire magic, stomping against the gravity magic to reach the human as they tried to push her back.

Chara felt some drive within her burst forth as she pushed off the ground, landing a powerful punch to the dark blue human's jaw that shattered it. Chara grabbed her blade, ripping it free from the human's chest and slicing once more to shatter them completely.

Suddenly, before her was a girl of about six with a pink tutu and dark blue ballet shoes. She had on a black leotard and white stockings. Her hair was a nice silver color and her eyes the same dark blue shade she'd been. She smiled at Chara, Chara feeling a shudder she didn't know she could give towards a human. This human wasn't much older than she was when she first fell.

" _I'm sorry,"_ She said. _"Those things… they weren't true. They were the opposite of truth. They were dishonest."_

"Damn right they were," Chara said.

 _I-It's just… when I became consumed by the flower,"_ The girl said. _"I became my opposite. Just like my friends. I don't like telling lies. It hurts inside, like something's eating me up."_

"Whatever," Chara said with sarcasm. "So what's your name, Truth?"

" _Call me Integrity,"_ The girl giggled. _"You're close."_

"Tell me something," Chara said. "If you're so honest… did my dad kill you?"

"… _Yes,"_ Integrity looked sad. _"I was with Sans and we met him… he killed me."_

Chara sighed, looking at the little girl.

"I want you to give me your power," Chara said, swallowing a lot of emotions. "Help me beat this flower all the way back to hell."

" _I can do that,"_ Integrity nodded. _"But, you'll have to free the rest if you want to really beat him. It's the only way you can fully win, with all types of magic combined."_

"I see," Chara said. "Well, heal me so I can find the next one."

" _I will,"_ Integrity nodded. She held her hand out to Chara, Chara's cracks becoming fixed. Chara began to walk towards where Integrity then pointed.

The world became more purple, causing the princess to look around at it. It almost resembled the Ruins.

" _Just give up,"_ A voice said, its owner moving forward with a strange gait. It was a purple human. This human moved towards Chara slowly, opening a book of some kind. Words came from the book, rushing for Chara and attempting to entangle her in a web of letters.

Chara dodged, using her magic. However, from the book came a strange mist that Chara inhaled. Immediately, she fell to the ground, coughing and hacking as she felt it invade her lungs. She realized the mist was poison. She let loose her magic in an attempt to burn it away, feeling herself grow weaker as she went.

" _You're not good enough,"_ The purple human said. _"Just give up. It will be so easy. Everything will be destroyed anyway."_

"I'm not letting that flower get away with killing my dad," Chara said, feeling a bit woozy as she moved through the mist to reach the human. However, the purple human seemed to have much better eyes than Chara, kicking her directly in the gut. Chara felt herself crack. This human wasn't particularly strong as compared to the others, but the poison combined with her expert marksmanship made it hurt worse.

Chara stood, punching the human in the face as she threw a fireball at them. The purple human opened the book again, a swarm of spiders emerging as Chara stood on her knees, still weakening.

" _Give in to your despair,"_ The purple human said. _"If you do, you'll feel so much better."_

"I'll never surrender," Chara coughed. "I was taught that from the very beginning. Not even the strongest poisons can stop me from my goal."

" _You'll give up,"_ The purple human said. _"They all do."_

From their eyes, the human looked at Chara, the spiders swarming her. Chara stood still, letting her magic burst forth as she burned them all.

"I stopped being afraid of spiders when I was three,"Chara said, walking towards the human, being able to feel their magic.

" _Just give up,"_ The human kicked her again, Chara feeling the cracks widen. She tried to block the next punch, but the human seemed to know exactly where to strike while she blindly flailed.

Chara swung her arm around, trying to get the human with a blow. She managed to nick the human, causing a crack to appear in their cheek. Chara, feeling where the human was, grabbed them, swinging around to level a kick to their neck. The purple human opened the book, the world shaking almost.

Chara shot fire in all directions, feeling the poison's effects grow stronger with each second. She heard the human be hit by one, but she also took three hits in the process.

" _Give up,"_ The human said. Chara, hearing where it was coming from threw her knife, a fireball accompanying it. The purple human dodged both, but Chara rushed forward with a punch to meet them after the dodge, damaging them severely. By magic, Chara summoned her blade, which sliced through the human. She drove her knee into the human's gut, landing a powerful punch to their chin. The human fell over, standing and opening their book again.

" _Giving up is your best option,"_ The human said, pages beginning to swirl around Chara, getting closer and closer. Chara let loose with some fire, burning some, but dropping to her knees as the poison was finally burning away at her painfully.

The human slammed the book closed and the pages all slammed into Chara cracking and smashing her. Chara felt her arm become useless as the poison drove her to the floor. The human stood above her, looking down.

" _Give up,"_ They said one last time as they stomped on Chara's head. Chara grabbed their foot, fire beginning to burn on her hand.

"I'm starting to get the hang of this magic," Chara murmured. "Before I was just letting my emotions throw it, but now, I'm learning to use it right."

With that, she let loose one last burst of fire, the purple human beginning to burn alive. They shouted in pain, their body cracking and popping as the princess drove her knife into their chest one last time.

With one last shriek, the purple human shattered, Chara relinquishing her magic. She was tired, letting the magic fade.

" _Don't give up,"_ The voice said as she felt herself be healed. _"I'll help you."_

Chara stood up, turning to see a female human about sixteen years old. She was wearing light blue boots and a dark purple dress. She wore purple gloves and had on a pair of purple ripped glasses. In her hands was a notebook and she had dark purple dyed hair. Her eyes were also a shade of purple.

" _Thank you,"_ She said. _"My brother and I went up this mountain to sketch some scenery… well, I wanted to sketch and he wanted to fight. I used to be just like him. Say… you're wearing gloves just like he was wearing. I gave them to him, but it seems as if you found them."_

"You're the talkative one, I see," Chara said.

" _I am,"_ The human said. _"But, you can keep them. We won't need them. Just keep them safe. It's thanks to you we're able to keep going and fight against this flower. I haven't fought in years, but it's time I did again. You have our help, your highness."_

"How did you know that?" Chara asked.

" _Your mom went on for hours about how I was your age and showed me pictures,"_ The human said. " _Oh, I forgot my manners. I'm Perseverance."_

"I guess mom would do that," Chara said.

" _Don't ever think you're alone,"_ Perseverance said. _"We're with you. Now, go. You still have two more of us to rescue."_

"I suppose I do," Chara said with a sigh. "To think, I'm not only rescuing humans, I'm relying on their help."

She walked away from the human, heading to where she could see a green glow.

A green human walked towards her, giving a slight giggle as they threw a frying pan at Chara. Chara ducked it, rushing for the human and slicing them with her knife. She also followed it up with a kick that shattered part of them.

The human giggled, the shattered portions beginning to mend themselves. Chara sighed.

"Healing magic," She said. "Looks like you're going to be irritating. But, there's one thing I can count on: you're not one with much magical stamina. No healer is. Healing takes a lot of magic, so we'll see who runs out first."

The green human gave what seemed like a sneer.

" _You're pathetic,"_ They said, their frying pan returning. _"You're going to die and I'm going to take your power."_

"Good luck with that," Chara smirked, unleashing her fire once again. She threw a fireball at the SOUL, making a crack that she followed up with a swinging kick. The green human blocked this with their frying pan, Chara bouncing off of it. She then rushed forward, slamming a fire infused fist into the gut of the green human, who was still healing from the last injuries.

Chara let loose a jet of flames from her fist to shoot through the human with a force enough to shatter stone. The green human's gut exploded form the force, Chara smirking as she let it go.

However, unlike the rest, that shattered fully when they sustained a blow like that, this human reformed, looking at Chara.

"Looks like I'll have to show off a bit more," Chara smirked, her fire swirling around her like a vortex. "I hope you don't mind a bit of burning, you little shit."

" _You will be the burning one,"_ The green human rushed forward, swinging their frying pan.

Chara managed to avoid the attack, punching the human with rapid and quick strikes so as to break them faster. Multiple cracks appeared, but they disappeared just as fast. Chara punched the human harder and faster, managing to make bigger cracks. She kept throwing fireballs as well as her punches, the fact she was merely a SOUL at this point adding to her proficiency as well as her anger and hatred.

"You're going to die by my hand, you filthy human," Chara growled, summoning her dagger to impale the human with the blade through their chest. The human coughed with the blade's thrust, Chara kicking it further in as she swung a leg around to kick the human in the head. The human swung their frying pan around, slamming Chara in the side of the head.

Chara flew to the side as her face cracked some. She continued to throw punches, making sure to land them in the exact same place so as to maximize the damage. She made sure to distract them from her knife so as to make sure they didn't remove it. She knew what she had to do with it. Chara began to pound the human, the human trying to counter with their frying pan.

However, Chara was too fast for them, yanking the frying pan out of their hand and smashing it against their head with a resounding sound of glass shattering. The green human's head shattered, but otherwise stayed intact. It still began to regenerate itself, becoming whole once again.

"I'm going to rip your arms off!" Chara shouted.

" _I will tear you apart and make your loved ones watch,"_ The green human said. _"You're dead."_

"And you're going to be more so in a second!" Chara shouted, her rage exploding with her magic, said magic becoming unstable and uncontrollable. The green human began to swing their frying pan wildly, Chara beginning to dodge. Several hits did connect, making Chara nervous that she wouldn't be able to keep it up as the hits did some severe damage.

Chara then began to unleash her own flurry of blows as she tried to gain some ground. If it hadn't been for the healing magic the human was powered by, Chara would have killed them a dozen times over, but that damned magic was keeping them going. Chara knew she had to end this with a powerful attack, but what?

The green human swung their frying pan in a wide arc to catch Chara off guard. Chara dodged, leaning back and concentrating her fire to unleash a technique that she saw her mother use once to show off that she was indeed capable of holding her own in the ways of magic. The fire Chara summoned erupted from the ground in a vortex that consistently burned the green human and shattered them, leaving nothing to heal.

Continuing to use the fire until she felt tired, Chara stopped, panting. It was nowhere near as powerful as Toriel's variant, but it was still enough to get the job done. She looked behind her to see a human of about sixteen standing there. This one was male, having an apron on and holding the frying pan. He had simple shoes on and a flannel shirt. He had messy brown hair and green eyes. He smiled at Chara, which didn't make her any less comfortable with this.

" _Thank you, Chara,"_ He smiled. _"I apologize for my words. Allow me to heal you."_

Chara once again felt the cracks reside and become nonexistent. The human smiled at her kindly, Chara looking at him with irritation.

"Get to the point," Chara said. "Where's the next one?"

" _That way,"_ He pointed. _"I am Kindness. But, before you go, I want you to promise me something."_

"What?" Chara asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

" _Promise me you'll give me to Flowey after we send you back,"_ He said.

"And why in the fuck would I do that?" Chara asked.

" _I assure you that you will understand why when you return to your father's room."_ Kindness said. _"But, perhaps you could also visit Alphys."_

"I was already going to," Chara said. "But, whatever. Why should I give that murderous flower your SOUL?"

" _When you understand, you'll be glad you have the opportunity,"_ Kindness said, Chara becoming irritated as he gave a knowing smile. _"It is something you will not want to miss out on."_

"What are you talking about?" Chara demanded.

" _I promise you that if I told you now, you wouldn't be able to handle it,"_ Kindness said. _"Just know that we will help you to beat this flower and then we will send you back to fix this."_

"Fine, whatever," Chara said. "I'll go."

She walked away, beginning to see a yellow glow.

Without warning, a beam of yellow magic shot by her head. The princess had barely any time to dodge, but it missed her anyway. She looked towards the source to see a yellow human with a gun and a hat on.

"Looks like you're a range fighter," Chara said. "Good. I can destroy you without much effort. You're going to need more than that to stop me."

Chara ran toward the human, the yellow human shooting a barrage of beams at her with the gun. Chara dodged, throwing a couple of fireballs. Some of the beams struck her, creating large cracks and even a couple of holes.

"You little shit!" She shouted, creating a shield of magic fire in front of her. She may not have used much magic before this, but Toriel had gone into loads of detail about how different spells worked because of Chara and Undyne's fascination for it. Her shield was stronger than this human, who obviously had no inherited magic to work with, was easily capable of breaking.

Chara ran forward, landing a punch on the human's face just as her shield dissipated. The yellow human began firing again, the princess jumping back and throwing a fireball to counter it. She summoned a larger one, firing it. The human dodged, Chara managing to disrupt their attack.

The princess continued to throw fireballs, not having to worry about her reserves. Being just a SOUL, she had immediate and regenerative access to them all. Besides, the only thing that would have weakened her was using that flaming vortex spell, but she had healed from that. She weaved and dodged around the beams, trying her best not to get hit as she ran forward and threw a fireball.

The yellow human ducked, the fireball barely missing them.

Chara followed it up with a blow to their jaw that cracked it wide. She pulled out her knife, moving forward to make for a quick stab at contact range, but the human continued to fire beams at her. She managed to dodge them, but she had no way to hurt this human. The flaming vortex was out of the question because she not only had the time to concentrate it, she didn't have the stamina to use it again. She may have been healed from using it before, but she also knew what doing something like that so shortly after previous use could do to someone. It wasn't a last ditch move for nothing.

Chara threw her blade, which zipped through the air like it was on rocket boosters. The yellow human shot it, the blade clattering to the ground. Chara ran forward, holding out a flame covered hand to block some of the shots. She grabbed her blade, firing another fireball right at the yellow SOUL. As inexperienced as Chara truly was with actually executing magic, her fireball was still stronger than the beams the yellow SOUL shot at it to block it. It struck them, cracking their body some as well as causing them to stumble.

Chara took the opportunity and lunged, clearing the distance almost as fast as if she'd used teleportation magic. She thrust her blade deep into the chest of the yellow human. Twisting it, she kicked them in the head.

"Burn in hell," Chara said.

" _I decide who burns,"_ The yellow human said. _"I decide right and wrong. Even your father cannot decide that."_

"Well, I'm the Judge now," Chara growled, her eye glowing with a burning rage and fire that threatened to consume all that brought it forth. She saw red, literally, as she began to land blows on the human. First, she kicked their arms, breaking them and preventing them from using magic. She then punched them in the face, cracking it so badly it looked like it was dropped from a mile high.

Bringing forth her power, she sliced them in half, the two halves shattering as she pocketed her knife.

She sensed the presence of the human behind her. She turned to face them. What she saw was a boy with freckles and brown hair. His eyes were yellow and he wore a cowboy outfit, complete with gun and hat. He stared at Chara with a bit of fear, but also admiration.

" _You sure know your way around magic,"_ He said. _"You would make a good judge."_

"Not my thing," Chara said. "I have a hard time killing monsters. But, what's with you?"

" _Call me Justice,"_ The human said. _"I am the last of them. You have done well, Chara."_

"You do realize I was fighting with intent to murder, correct?" Chara asked the human.

" _I do,"_ Justice said. _"But, you weren't attacking us mostly for us, but to stop the flower."_

"Whatever makes you sleep better," Chara rolled her eyes. The other humans appeared next to Justice, smiling at Chara.

" _You have freed us all,"_ They said. _"And because of that, we will help you to get your wish of defeating the flower. We will grant you our full power and fully unleash the latent powers buried deep within your SOUL."_

"Latent powers?" Chara asked.

" _Your full magical powers that were buried within you,"_ Integrity stated. _"Repressed by your fears and never allowed to manifest until you consistently ingested pure magic and had a significant emotional trigger for their output."_

"I… I see," Chara said. "What about Frisk?"

" _Your answers are in Alphys' laboratory,"_ Kindness said. _"We remember from when she took us there. But, you will have to help her first."_

"I will," Chara said. "Now, give me your powers so that I can destroy this little shit and stop him once and for all."

" _As you wish,"_ The six humans nodded, holding out their hands towards Chara. Power of their respective colors began to flow into Chara, the princess feeling her magic rise and fluxuate with the insane output of magic. Regardless of the fact that these humans had no magical potential and the magic they did have was simply from the fact that their SOULs aligned with a certain type of monster magic, they, being pure human SOULs, had an enormous amount to give combined. Chara dropped to her knees, feeling her power burn hotter than ever before.

" _This is all we can give,"_ Kindness said. _"But, it should be enough."_

"Th… Thank you," Chara said, a surprising feeling coming from her; actual gratitude towards a human other than Frisk.

She felt her power surge as she immediately felt the blackness dissipate as she rushed for her body. Colliding with it, she immediately felt Frisk's presence embrace her.

"Chara!" She exclaimed, holding her in her subconscious, her voice shaking as if she'd been crying. "I'm so glad you're alright, my little angel!"

"I'm fine," Chara said as her body fell from the control of the vines landing on the ground on her feet. "But, now it's time to burn this plant."

"HOW?!" Flowey exclaimed in rage as he fired dozens of bullets at Chara. However, they all melted and dissipated in the blazing aura Chara was giving off, Chara's red aura now shining a bit of rainbow, but still mostly red.

"Tell me flower," Chara said, her voice low and dangerous as her face was looking downward enough to hide her eyes with her hair. "What is the most dangerous thing to a monster?"

"It's Flowey!" Flowey shouted at the princess.

"I don't care," Chara said. "Answer the question: what is the most dangerous thing to a monster, even more than a monster with a human SOUL?"

Flowey thought over the answer to that question. He immediately felt his 'blood' run cold as he realized the exact answer.

"You get it don't you?" Chara smirked a malicious smirk that glowed as red as her aura. "A human with killing intent. Congratulations, flower. You've just created the most powerful one in existence."

"I'll tear you to shreds!" Flowey slashed at her with his vines, but they burned off.

"You asked me what I'd do if I met a relentless killer," Chara looked at him, her eyes glowing red, a burning fire emerging from her left eye. "Well, I think I have my answer."

Flowey's face turned to one of fear for a split second, Chara's form closing the gap between them in almost that short a time. A powerful fire razed the flower, causing him to shriek. Chara summoned her blade, duplicating it as she began to send them shooting into the flower, slicing chunks of him off.

Flowey retaliated by shooting thousands of bullets and vines at her, but Chara simply used gravity magic to send them back, slamming the flower around simply by waving her hand in a particular direction. The entire time Frisk stayed quiet. She knew exactly why she shouldn't say anything, knowing how Chara would react if she did.

Chara began to slice Flowey with burning blades, the flower shrieking in pain as Chara brutally attacked him, her rage erupting in her shouts.

Flowey managed to wrap some vines around her, but Chara's aura burned them off.

"Wh-What the hell are you?!" The flower demanded of her.

"I am Chara Dreemurr," Chara said, walking towards the flower with a slow, methodical walk designed to intimidate the flower even further. "I am the heir to the throne of the monsters. I am the future of monsterkind! I am your judge, jury, and EXECUTIONER!"

With that, Chara summoned another vortex of flames that consumed the flower, burning him immensely. Flowey screamed with a shriek and began to shrivel up as parts of him burned off. He became charred ash almost instantly and he was left with only the TV screen still partly intact.

"Y-You…" He said, gasping in pain as Chara dropped to her knees, panting as she had used up the magic the SOULs had given her.

"I'll finish with you, flower," Chara panted, the vortex of flames having taken more out of her than she thought. Of course she would overdo it when she was just beginning to learn how to use her magic.

"That's… so… perfect," Flowey said, his voice going from strained to laughing as his body almost immediately reformed itself completely intact.

"Wh-what?" Chara asked, her voice turning to panic as all the damage she'd dealt was undone.

"Didn't expect this, did you?" Flowey cackled. "I used the SOULs to! But, I also learned another power they have: time manipulation."

Vines impaled Chara, shattering her SOUL, only for it to immediately reform as Flowey ripped her body in half. Her SOUL immediately reformed again as Flowey blasted it and incinerated it. Each time, Chara continued to feel the excruciating pain that came with it, causing her to scream for every second she was alive.

Flowey used his vines to decapitate the princess, immediately reviving her. He crushed her into a compacted piece of dripping bones and meat, reviving her. Eventually, after so many deaths Chara couldn't feel the pain anymore, her mind was so disconnected from it. She could barely hear Frisk's voice in her head, but it was still fuzzy.

"Such a shame," The flower cackled, spreading her body wide and shooting magic bullets into it to riddle it with holes. He tried to attack her again, but something was wrong. His magic wasn't working properly.

"What the he—" He began before he saw the SOULs in front of him. They shot their combined powers into him, damaging him beyond anything he could repair without their power. They immediately began to hover around Chara. She couldn't absorb them, but they began to fill her with power, reviving her and bringing her back. However, the eyes that shone form Chara's eyes were not the color of the princess's.

" _Chara… or whoever you are,"_ Kindness spoke to her mind. _"We will send you back to before you met with your father. The flower is defeated and you must hurry. Do not see your father yet. Alphys needs you more. There are things you will learn."_

"I will make sure she does," Frisk said. "And I will bring her back. Rest assured."

" _You are aware of the promise Chara made to me?"_ Kindness asked.

"Considering I know who that flower is, I probably do," Frisk said. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

" _If it undoes all of this, I will gladly do it,"_ Kindness said. _"Now, please, go."_

Frisk nodded as the SOULs used the last of their power, returning them to outside the throne room.

Frisk sat Chara's body down, retreating into Chara's SOUL and walking over to the sobbing, pained form of Chara, the princess lost in her own memories thanks to the tortures of the flower.

"Wake up, my little angel," She whispered to the consciousness of the princess. Chara's body stopped trembling at the sound of her voice.

"F-Frisk?" She asked, hoping that this time wasn't a dream.

"Yes, my angel," Frisk said, holding her close. "It is over. Flowey is gone. We have returned to before you met your father."

"R-Really?" Chara asked. Frisk nodded.

"We should go see Alphys," the ghost said, smiling down at Chara. "You promised you would after you saw your dad. So, once you're ready, wake up and we'll go see her. Perhaps she'll have a way for us to talk like this in person."

Chara looked at Frisk, knowing that the older human didn't really believe that, but since Chara did she would. She sighed, hoping with all her might that Flowey wouldn't come back.

Taking a deep breath, she took control of her body once again, her red eyes opening as she stood up, taking a saddened look at her dad's throne room before turning around and walking towards the other end of Judgement Hall.

* * *

And there we have completed the neutral route. Now, the pacifist route can begin. Next chapter we'll see the True Lab and its dark secrets. But, what darkness will Chara and Frisk unearth about the Underground? Is the truth best left unknown? We shall see. Let me know what you think and if I should continue after the pacifist run.


	8. It's Where My Demons Hide

Chapter Seven: It's Where My Demons Hide

Chara walked towards the end of the Judgement Hall, wiping her eyes. Frisk, inside her SOUL, appeared to comfort her.

"Hey, he's still alive, remember," Frisk said. "And, he may not remember anything happened."

"I… I just want to see him happy again," Chara said. "I don't want him upset. I… I can't believe I caused him to get hurt. It's just what I do…"

"Chara, don't be like that," Frisk said. "You couldn't have known that A—Flowey was powerful enough to kill your dad."

"I even ate the pie mom made and wanted me to give him," Chara said. "I… I'm so horrible. I just… maybe… maybe they were right about me…"

"NO!" Frisk said in a voice that almost shocked Chara off her feet. "You cannot listen to those voices. Listen to mine. You are not a demon. You are my little angel. You love Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, Undyne, and this Underground. You are not the reason they are hurt or suffering. It's that flower. You need to figure out a way to stop him, but the only way we can do that is if we get Alphys' help."

"Didn't you kill him?" Chara asked her.

"I…" Frisk said, trying to step around this issue carefully. The last thing Chara needed was to not be willing to fight him or worse, let him kill her out of guilt.

"You know something, don't you?" Chara asked. It wasn't accusatory, but she was clearly upset that she wasn't trusted with that information.

"Listen, angel," Frisk sighed. "I know about that flower. Your mind forced you to forget, but… I know why I can't tell you. Just… at least let us worry about helping Alphys. After that, I'll try to tell you everything… but, you might not want to continue if I do."

"You think that?" Chara asked, hurt.

"There are some truths I know you're not ready for," Frisk said sadly. "This one isn't one. Trust me… if I were to tell you, your entire world would shatter."

"… Okay," Chara said, looking down. "I trust you, Frisk."

"Good," Frisk wrapped her spectral arms around Chara. "I promise it will all get better. I just have a feeling."

"Right," Chara sighed. "Well, let's go help Alphys."

The two journeyed back through New Home and Asgore's house, making it all the way to the Core. Once they exited the CORE, Chara's phone rang.

"Who is it?" Chara asked.

"Hey, punk, you seen your old man yet?" Undyne's voice came over the phone. "How is he? I ain't seen him in a couple of weeks."

Chara froze breaking down and telling her the whole story, unable to hide anything from her long-time friend and just needing to get it off her chest. After she'd finished, Undyne was silent.

"I… Oh my god," She said. "Th… that's horrible. I'm so sorry… is he alright?"

"I… I think so," Chara regained her composure. "I didn't look, but I think it's true."

"I get it," Undyne nodded. "I hope he is too. Do… Do you want to come over and talk?"

"I… I need to see Alphys," Chara said.

"Well, come here first," Undyne said. "You're in no shape to talk to her. Come here and I even got something for her."

"O-Okay," Chara said, wiping her eyes again and walking through MTT Resort. People were gathered and pointed at her, but she ignored them, walking through. She made it to the elevator in Hotland and returned to right in front of the Lab. Walking past it, she walked to a boat, the Riverperson inside just watching her.

"Tra la la," They said. "Why so glum, chum? He's alright, you know. I can still feel his big heart."

"I… I suppose you're right," Chara gave a weak chuckle, sitting down in the boat and waiting for the trip to Snowdin to be over. "So… how have you been?"

"Better than most," They said. "Chin up, princess. You should remember that you are trying to be good for the benefit of the monsters. You are still their future."

"I'm a horrible future then," Chara muttered.

"It is because you think so that you are going to be a good future for them," The Riverperson said. "You don't think you're all that and you simply want to be there. But, because you see yourself as not good enough, it can drive you to improve."

"You always know what to say to make me confused," Chara said.

"I have that talent," The Riverperson chuckled. "But, you are still a broken individual. Those you hold dear need to put you back together, but you need to let them. You close yourself off and don't let anyone help."

"I try," Chara said. "It's just… so hard."

"Even after all this time, you are still worried they will be another Frisk or Asriel," The Riverperson said. "But, things aren't like that. You are better than that. Accept that fact and you will be better off."

"I guess you're right," Chara sighed. "Are we there yet?"

"Yes, princess." The Riverperson nodded. "And chin up. Your father would love that pie."

"But, I ate…" Chara looked to see that she still had the pie. "I… guess that came back too."

"Good luck," The Riverperson said. "I know you can do it."

"Thanks," Chara smiled genuinely, walking down to Undyne's temporary residence, the fish woman standing outside with Papyrus.

"You look like shit," She said. "Come on in and let's get you fixed up."

Chara felt herself be dragged into the house as Undyne rushed her to the bathroom and helped her look better. She managed to get the wild hair Chara had under control. She pat Chara on the back, hugging her.

"It's alright, Chara," She said. "I'm here if you need me."

Chara leaned onto Undyne's chest, coming up to the fish woman's chin now. The same muscular arms wrapped around her and held her close.

"So… what did you want me to give Alphys?" Chara asked.

"Oh yeah," Undyne said, handing her a letter. "Here."

"Is this a love letter?" Chara asked in confusion.

"NO!" Undyne said quickly.

"Looooove letter," Frisk said in a sing song voice.

"I thought you said you weren't like that," Chara said. "But, now I'm confused."

"Just give her the letter and let her deal with it," Undyne said.

"Uh, alright," Chara said. "Why not you?"

"Because Hotland suuuuuuuuuucks," Undyne said. "Every time I go there, I have to bring like a hundred gallons of water."

"Fair enough," Chara shrugged, knowing Undyne was never good with hot places… despite practically living with three fire mages for a good deal of her life.

"Thanks, punk," Undyne grinned, noogieing Chara. Chara actually began to laugh, beginning to let go of her earlier sadness as she enjoyed her friend's company.

"There's that laugh I know," Undyne said. "Now, get going before you get cold feet. Yes, I know that can be a pun, but what the hell else should I say?"

"I'll do it," Chara grinned. "Just make sure you thank me later."

"Yeah, yeah, six extra large bars," Undyne grinned. "I know, I've had this before."

"Good," Chara grinned wider. She headed out, heading back to the Riverperson, who escorted her back to Hotland. However, as Chara left, Undyne had a thought.

"Oh shit!" She exclaimed. "I forgot to write my name on it!"

 _Later, with Chara_

Chara walked up to the Lab, knocking on the door and sliding the letter under the door.

"What the?" Alphys' voice was heard from the other side. "Another letter? I… I don't want to open it. But… I can't just keep ignoring the problem. Everyone was counting on me and I let them down."

"Alphys?" Chara asked. "Are you okay in there?"

"Ch-Chara?" Alphys asked. "You're the one that delivered this?"

"Yeah…" Chara said.

"Well, then I'll open it," Alphys said. Chara could hear the letter being opened and she heard the sound of Alphys muttering the contents. After about a minute, the door opened rapidly, Alphys blushing heavily as she stared at the human, who looked utterly confused at her.

"Y-You wrote this?" Alphys asked.

"Please tell me it doesn't say anything that would cause you to undress me with your eyes." Chara said.

Alphys was silent, leading Chara to grab the letter. She read it, her face turning redder than the natural blush/unfading scars she had. She crumpled the letter up, dropping it.

"I would totally let you do some of that to me," Frisk said. "Or, I'd do it to you."

"A-Are you okay?" Alphys asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," Chara said. "Just gonna murder Undyne later."

"W-Well, would you like to… d-date me like in the l-letter?" Alphys asked.

Chara considered turning her down and explaining this, but the look on Alphys' face told her otherwise.

"*sigh* fine," Chara said. "I will go on a date with you."

Chara ignored Frisk's laughter in her head as Alphys squealed, pulling her into the Lab.

Chara watched as Alphys pulled her over to her quite large collection of anime and Mew Mew Kissy Cutie things that took up a large part of the upstairs portion of the lab. Alphys then handed Chara an outfit looking at her. Chara sighed, putting it on.

When she was done, she looked in the mirror, seeing herself wearing cat gloves and fake ears and a tail. Frisk was doubled over in laughter in the mirror, the princess almost pouting as Frisk pinched Chara's cheeks a little.

"So cuuuuute," She said in a mock babying voice, laughing as Chara glared at her. "I think I'll just keep you forever."

"I will get you back for this, Frisk," Chara said.

"Wh-Who's Frisk?" Alphys asked.

"She's the one sharing my SOUL," Chara said. "Well… technically, her own is in me too, but it isn't so easily reachable."

"W-Well, can I t-talk to her?" Alphys asked.

"Can you do that?" Chara looked at Frisk.

"I can take over your body in this state," Frisk said. "But, you have to either be hiding in the depths of your mind like in the Flowey battle or you have to willingly let me. But… do you trust me?"

"With my life," Chara said. "So, do whatever you have to do to talk to Alphys."

"Just step back and let me do my thing," Frisk said. Chara nodded, closing her eyes. When she opened them, they were brown and her skin had a slight yellowish tint. Alphys' jaw dropped at the action, Chara… er, Frisk looking at her.

"Hi," She waved. "I'm Frisk. You're pretty cute."

Alphys immediately blushed, clutching her heart as Frisk gave a sly wink, but nowhere near the level she gave Chara.

"Stop using my body to be a flirt!" Chara shouted, crossing her arms as she grumbled next to Frisk, only visible to her. Alphys walked downstairs, gesturing Frisk to join.

"S-So," Alphys said. "H-How did you g-get into Chara's SOUL?"

"Well, when the humans killed me, they threw me down the hole in Mount Ebbot," Frisk said. "Chara, a short time later, fell down as well, her SOUL bonding with mine because we shared a bond."

"Th-That doesn't make sense," Alphys said. "H-Humans can't absorb human SOULs."

"I'm not absorbed" Frisk said. "More like cohabiting. We're completely separate of each other."

"I-I see," Alphys said. "I-Interesting. S-So, you knew Chara before?"

"Yep," Frisk said. "She's my little angel. But, she's grown into a _fine_ young woman."

Chara covered her blushing face with her hands as she floated next to her closest friend.

"You're going to be the death of me," She muttered into her hands.

"I-I see," Alphys said. "S-So, what is your magic?"

"I don't have magic," Frisk shrugged. "Only thing I've got is DETERMINATION, I guess, but that's borrowed from Chara. So, what about you and Undyne?"

"Wh-What?!" Alphys asked, gasping loudly as she blushed. "H-How did you know about that?! U-Uh, I mean…"

"I was watching with Chara in the Mettaton show." Frisk said. "You know, I think I have a few ideas to help you."

"Y-You do?" Alphys asked.

"Of course," Frisk grinned a sly grin as she grabbed Alphys by the shoulders. "We're gonna get you tasting sushi by the end of the week!"

"That's still my friend you're talking about!" Chara shrieked.

"I-I think that's a bit e-e-excessive," Alphys blushed heavily as she looked at Frisk.

"To the garbage dump," Frisk pulled the reptilian monster out, taking her to Waterfall. Once they arrived at the garbage dump, Frisk set her down, grinning a grin Chara knew didn't lead to anything good. Of course, she also knew Frisk did know how to read people pretty well, so she probably could help. Hell, she'd make a great judge were it not for the fact she didn't fight or use magic. Of course, she was almost supernaturally fast when it came to dodging. Chara had seen her move in a 'fight' she'd gotten into and it was almost like she could move in super speed.

"Wh-Why are we here?" Alphys asked.

"We're gonna get your inner Boss Monster out," Frisk said. "Now, I'll be Undyne and you be you."

"R-Roleplay?" Alphys asked in shock and embarrassment.

"But of course," Frisk smirked. "How else shall we seduce your fishy love interest?"

"This certainly won't end well," Chara sighed, knowing how this song and dance always went.

"Now, I'll start," Frisk said. "Alphys, I want to talk to you."

"Wh-What about, Undyne?" Alphys asked.

"Well, you've constantly been on my mind and it gets me really… turned on," Frisk leaned in close to Alphys, almost within kissing distance. Alphys was as orange as she could be, blushing heavily.

"B-But, wait," Alphys said, breaking the roleplay. "U-Undyne wouldn't love someone like me. I-I'm just some loser… I-I really don't like myself v-very much. I… I should just… go away."

Immediately, Chara took control, pulling the reptilian monster into a hug.

"Hey, it's alright," Chara said. "I'm the same way. But, there's always someone who cares."

"I-I guess you're right," Alphys said. "S-So, d-do you want to continue?"

"Sure," Chara said. "I'll be the one to do it."

"A-Alright," Alphys nodded. "U-Undyne, I… I like you, alright?! I want to be with you and do all kinds of stuff with you!"

"Uh, sure," Undyne's voice came from behind Alphys. Alphys looked at Chara in confusion, thinking the princess had done the voice. Chara nodded behind her, Alphys looking up at Undyne. She gulped, blushing and hiding her face.

"Hey, nerd, what's wrong?" Undyne said. "I like you like that too. I even wrote you a letter to confess."

"And you forgot to sign it," Chara said. "The one flaw you have is that you always forget to sign your name."

"Oh uh, oops," Undyne chuckled. "Well… I guess I should try to get Alphys some training. PAPYRUS!"

"GREETINGS!" Papyrus leapt in, waving as he was dressed in an outfit with basketballs with sunglasses and a shirt that said "Jog Boy". "IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

"Papyrus, do your motivation coaching," Undyne said. "Stat!"

"ON IT!" Papyrus exclaimed, pulling Alphys along.

"You gonna see your dad yet?" Undyne asked.

"I… I don't know," Chara said. "I just… have a feeling that I haven't done something I need to do."

"Alright," Undyne said. "Well, after the motivation training, can you check on her? I don't think there's such good things going on in the old lab, but she won't let anyone near it."

"Right," Chara said. "Maybe there's something Doctor Gaster worked on that will help."

"I'm sure," Undyne said. "I'll let you know if I see that flower. He's going to burn for that."

"Yeah…" Chara nodded with a sad sigh. "We have to stop it from happening again."

"Right," Undyne nodded. "We must."

 _Later_

After crashing with Undyne for a few hours, Chara headed back to the Lab. She sighed, hoping that Alphys was going to be okay and that they could all help her out with her self-esteem. Chara knew what that could do. However, before she could, she got a phone call.

"Hello?" She asked.

"AH, HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I CALLED TO TELL YOU TO CHECK ON ALPHYS. SHE QUIT OUR MOTIVATIONAL TRAINING EARLY AND WENT HOME AND SAID SHE WASN'T FEELING WELL."

"I'll check," Chara said. "I'll call you and Undyne if anything's really wrong."

"OKAY, HUMAN!" Papyrus said cheerfully, hanging up.

Chara approached the Lab door, an odd, sickening feeling washing over her as she neared it.

"Something's off," Frisk said, feeling it as well. "Be cautious. I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it."

"Right," Chara knocked on the door.

"Alphys?" She called. "It's Chara. I'm here to see if you're alright. It would be nice if you'd open the door."

However, there wasn't a sound. Chara, feeling an even worse feeling, began to pound on the door.

"ALPHYS!" She shouted, trying to keep her voice level. "Open up! I just want to talk! Please!"

There was no answer, the princess taking a few steps back. She took a deep breath, trying to call forth the flames she was given. Her emotional state, while a bit more intense than normal, wasn't the intensity that allowed her more use of them. She was still learning. After a minute or so, however, she managed to summon flames in her hand. She pulled her hand back, getting a running start for the door. She slammed her fist into the door, sending the flames forth in an explosive release that blew the door out of its track and into the lab.

"ALPHYS!" Chara shouted into the Lab, walking in. "ANSWER ME!"

Walking over to the door in front of the bathroom of the Lab, she noticed a note on the floor. She felt Frisk shudder at the note, beginning to read it.

"Thank you, my friends," Chara read. "I'm sorry that I've made you go out of your way to help me, but I'm just not worth it. I feel it would be better if I just… went away to face my problems. It's something I have to do alone. If you want to know the truth and the source of all my worries, fears and problems, it's through this bathroom here. Chara, thank you for giving me someone to talk to if I needed it. Undyne, thank you for loving me despite my flaws. Papyrus… thanks for being Papyrus."

Chara grabbed her phone out, practically smashing the buttons as she dialed the number.

"Hey, what's up?" Undyne's voice came. "Alphys okay?"

"Get down here." Chara said in a tone that left no argument. "NOW."

"What's wrong?" Undyne asked.

"I found a note," Chara said. "Just get down here. I'm going to find Alphys."

"She's missing?!" Undyne exclaimed.

"I think she never left the Lab," Chara looked at the bathroom. "I think she went into Doctor Gaster's Lab."

"That place is still creepy." Undyne said. "Well, I'll grab a lot of water and meet you there."

"No," Chara said. "I'll go in ahead and we can meet up in there. I don't know if she's planning to do anything or just stay down there forever, but I don't want to risk getting there too late."

"Right," Undyne said, the worry rising in her voice. "Do what you have to."

"Right," Chara said, entering the bathroom. She looked at the layout and noticed a panel on the wall. One of the buttons was labelled "True Lab". Chara pressed this and the bathroom whirred and clicked, turning into an elevator.

The elevator began to descend, Chara waiting patiently, tapping her foot.

Suddenly, the elevator began to flash red as warning signs began to blare. Chara felt herself falling, the last thing she heard being Frisk call out her name before blackness claimed her once again.

Chara found herself in a crowd, looking around. The monsters gathered around her were jostling her, keeping her still. She felt… smaller than before, younger.

"Frisk?" She asked, shrinking a little in on herself. "Mom?"

She curled into a ball, covering her head as the crowd continued to press her, no sign of anyone she knew.

Suddenly, they were all looking at her, laughing, pointing. She curled tighter, holding her head close. She wanted to avoid all their stares and jeers. She just wanted it all to end. She wanted it all to be a dream…

She awoke with a jolt, sitting bolt upright as she looked around. The setting was familiar. She was… Home.

She panted, feeling herself sweating onto her pajamas. Suddenly, there were two arms holding onto her, holding her close.

"Hey, Chara," A voice that made her freeze spoke to her softly. "It's alright. We're right here. We're not gonna let anyone hurt you."

"Yeah," Came Undyne's voice. "We're gonna smash those nightmares away."

Chara felt the arms holding her. They were… fuzzy. She looked behind her to see the same red eyes and goat like face she'd always known as her brother's.

"A-Asriel?" She asked, looking at him with shock.

"Always," Asriel grinned that cheeky grin he had. "It's me, your best friend."

"I… I thought I'd lost you," Chara said, holding him as Undyne joined in the hug.

"I'm always right here," Asriel said. "Now, come on. It's my turn to make you feel better."

"Yeah," Undyne said. "We're gonna make a human sandwich."

"A-Alright," Chara nodded, the three of them lying back down on the bed as Asriel pulled the covers over them. Chara then felt something dripping on her face. She reached up to feel it and felt the familiar sting of Hatred. She looked over at where Asriel was only seeing that damned flower, giving an evil grin.

"Time to die, Chara!" He grinned, summoning magic bullets.

"No…" Chara backed away. "You're not supposed to be powerful enough to do that. And where's Asriel?"

Flowey only laughed, shooting Chara with the magic bullets.

"Asriel!" She shouted, jolting up from where she sat. She looked around to see that she was in an elevator, Undyne staring down at her.

"Whoa, whoa" Undyne said, holding her still, dressed in jeans, a tank top, and her black leather jacket Chara had gotten her years back. "It's alright. He's gone."

"I-I saw him…" Chara said, eyes welling up. "A-And then that flower killed me."

"It… it was only a dream," Undyne said. "Or… a death hallucination like last time."

"I… I died again?" Chara asked.

"Yeah," Undyne said. "SOUL out and everything. Fortunately, it's only been for a few hours since I got here."

"Well…" Chara struggled to stand. "Let's just find Alphys. I should be fine."

"Be very careful," Frisk said. "Don't throw yourself into danger."

Chara simply nodded as she and Undyne walked into the Lab.

"This place seems even creepier than when Doctor Gaster was here," Chara said. "Let's stick together."

"Uh, yeah," Undyne said. "This place doesn't feel that safe anymore… at least, it feels more dangerous now."

The two walked through the Lab, taking note of the dark and ominous look that it held. Coming upon a computer screen, they turned it on.

"Entry 3," It read. "The king provided me with those who had fallen down in an attempt to help determine what made human SOULs tick. He let me borrow the four SOULs and had me tell him what I needed. Using this, I have determined that what makes a human SOUL persist after death is something known as DETERMINATION."

"Interesting," Undyne crossed her arms. "So, that's what made you stick around even after death. Cool."

"But… I wonder what she wanted with the fallen monsters." Chara said, thinking out loud. "Something's… off about this. Alphys seemed nervous any time that I mentioned Doctor Gaster or my ability to cheat death. She also kept saying that she didn't deserve love. But… what could she have done?"

"It ain't gonna change how I feel about her, if that's what she thought," Undyne said.

"But, you're one of however many monsters there are," Chara said. "They certainly would see her differently if something truly bad happened."

"Let's just keep going," Undyne said. "We gotta find Alphys and find a way out of here since that elevator is out of commission."

"Yeah," Chara looked back. "Hopefully, this place is still laid out the same as we remember."

"We ran blindly after we got scared with Azzy," Undyne chuckled.

"Which doesn't bode well now," Chara said. "But, let's just find out what we need to know."

They came upon a large door with four locks on it. Looking at them, it was clear they weren't getting out that way yet. There was a door to the side and a hallway to the left. There was a vending machine, which Chara got chips out of.

"This seems like the only exit," Chara said. "But, the power's out. We'll have to find the keys to restore it."

"We need to split up," Undyne said.

"No," Chara grabbed her arm. "We… we should stay together."

"Are you… still worried about that flower?" Undyne asked, putting an arm around her best friend's shoulder.

"Yeah," Chara said. "I don't want one of us to encounter him while the other is on the other side of the Lab."

"We'll smash him into the ground," Undyne grinned in a reassuring way. "And we're certainly not gonna let him get to Ol' Fluffybuns."

"Right," Chara said, feeling her confidence rise as Undyne held her tight. "He was only powerful with six SOULs. He's weak now and we've both got magic."

"Right," Undyne grinned wider. "Now, let's find our way through this Lab. Also, I'm glad it ain't just me who was feelin' a bit antsy. That feeling of no matter how creepy it was, Doctor Gaster's presence kept us safe is gone."

The two looked at the door, deciding to head left. They happened upon three sinks. Something red was glowing in them, prompting the two to look closer.

Suddenly, a white, amorphous… thing oozed out of the sink, forming what could best be described as a blob of pure hideousness. It was like a blob with a small tail curled around it. Several mouths and eyes were noticeable around the white blob and it spoke in a language that sounded like static. It wasn't even understandable like the strange language Doctor Gaster had spoken in. The only thing the two intruders felt was pure, unadulterated terror as it moved closer.

"Wh-What the fuck is that?!" Chara exclaimed, latching onto Undyne, who was latching onto her as well.

"I don't know!" The fish woman exclaimed. "But, let's get the fuck out of here!"

"Make sure it doesn't see you!" Frisk shouted.

The two ran away, all the way back to the elevator, pounding on it as they noticed that the… thing was coming closer. Were they in their right minds, they'd laugh at how the Captain of the Royal Guard as well as the princess of monsters were scared out of their wits by this thing. Undyne grabbed Chara and tried to leap up the track for the elevator, but it was no use. She couldn't make it far enough and the wires were all piled on the ground on the elevator. Suddenly, their cell phones rang.

"Not now!" Chara exclaimed as they tried to run from that thing chasing them. She looked at it, seeing an unknown number.

"Is it your mom?" Undyne asked, franticly looking for a way up the shaft.

"No, I don't know who this is!" Chara said. "But, anyone is better than no one!"

She picked up the phone, putting it on speaker.

"Help us we're in Alphys' Lab and we need to get out!" Both shouted as a sound of static stopped their speech. It then began to turn into speech they understood; not that they wanted to.

"Join… us," It said, the… thing nearing them. "It's one _cell_ of a time."

Chara screamed and dropped the phone, Undyne putting two spears through it. The… thing continued to come closer, the two beginning to feel… things.

Both dropped to the ground with headaches as they felt memories flooding in. Chara could feel Frisk shriek in pain as well as she felt them.

Chara saw… everything. She saw everything that happened when Frisk was corrupted by her hatred. She saw every death, every one. As they all replayed in her mind, she felt Frisk stop her consciousness before it reached Flowey's death. She couldn't see it no matter how hard she tried.

Undyne saw the same things Chara did, watching as she also saw everything in Chara's thoughts before then.

"Go away!" Chara shouted, both to the memories and the… things that were there. She didn't want to deal with them, either one. Whether or not she had made it through, she saw that the thing was gone.

"Wh-What was that?" Undyne asked, trying to will away the memories.

"Whatever it was, Alphys may be down here too," Chara said. "We have to find her quick."

"Yeah," Undyne said. "Those things might find her next."

"Yeah…" Chara said. "So… you saw all that?"

"I did," Undyne stood up, helping Chara up. "I never knew that's what had happened. How did you manage?"

"Painfully," Chara said. "Frisk was there and she helped a lot. I think Alphys was trying to get her back as well for me, but I guess she couldn't."

"You know how Sans is gonna react," Undyne said.

"I don't care." Chara said. "He'll answer to me if he does anything. I just want her back, Undyne."

"I know," Undyne said. "I'm rootin' for ya. Get your crush back."

"That is not what we are." Chara crossed her arms, blushing a little.

"I'm just kidding," Undyne laughed. "But, you blushed."

"Whatever," Chara said. "If that thing's gone, let's see if we can't find the key for that door."

"Yeah," Undyne nodded as the two made their way to the sinks, looking inside to see that there was a red key in them. They headed into the room in front of them, inserting the key in the slot inside of the room.

"There's another one of these data pad things." Chara observed. The two perused it quickly so as to not give that thing time to follow them.

"The DETERMINATION had some… odd effects on the fallen monsters," The pad read.

"Was that… a fallen monster?" Chara asked.

"It didn't look like any I know of," Undyne shuddered. "Or even a mix of monsters. That… thing was one creepy son of a bitch."

"You got that right," Chara nodded. "Let's just get out of here. That door may be open now."

The two carefully made their way to the large door, noticing that the red section was blinking and lit up. In the door next to it, they saw a dark hallway.

"Uh, ladies first," Undyne gestured.

"You're a woman too," Chara looked at her.

"Shit," Undyne said. "Well, let's just go together."

"Right," Chara nodded as they walked into it, huddled close together. "But, let's try our best not to find anything else."

"Right," Undyne said. "There can't be much in here, right?"

"It looks like Alphys ha a lot of these data pads," Chara said, reading the one in this hallway.

"They didn't turn to dust, which gave me an interesting idea," She read. "If I use something that's neither human nor monster, can I get a result that would help us break the barrier?"

"I… don't like where this is going," Chara said. "I've got a really, really bad feeling about this."

"It's not like she's becoming a crazy mad scientist," Undyne said.

"No one, human or monster, should have that kind of power or ambition," Chara said. "Regardless of their intentions. That's what mom always said. But, I'm not gonna fault Alphys for thinking like a scientist. She is following in the footsteps of quite a mad scientist in that of Doctor Gaster."

"Right," Undyne nodded. "Let's keep going. The sooner we find her, the sooner we get out of this creepyass place."

"Agreed," Chara said as they walked on. Soon, they came upon a group of beds.

As creepy as this is, I could use a sitting down." Chara said. "I'll sit in that one that looks unused."

"Good idea," Undyne nodded. "Let's just sit for a few minutes."

"Right," Chara said. She sat down on one bed, Undyne on another. The fish woman felt something under her on the bed. Steeling herself, she reached under the covers, relieved when she found a yellow key.

However, she paled when she looked at Chara, who was simply sitting, her eyes closed in rest as a tall, lanky white creature stood behind her, rubbing her back.

"Thanks, Undyne," She muttered, the fish woman holding the on the bed tight so as to prevent herself from screaming. Ironic how she was supposed to be the fearless one and yet she was terrified of this creature… then again, it _was_ Doctor Gaster's old lab. There were some creepy things back when he was Royal Scientist. This took the cake, however.

After a few minutes, Chara stood up, looking over at Undyne.

"Thanks for the back rub," She said, walking over to a data pad.

"Unfortunately, I can't get the dust from the monsters…" Chara read. "Which means I can't give them back. But, the good news is that I found a perfect vessel for this DETERMINATION experiment."

"Where should we go next?" Undyne asked, looking at the layout of the room. There were two options, one a hallway, the other a door. "I found a yellow key, so one more down."

"I say we go through the door," Chara said. "I've got a bad feeling about the right. But, it's fine. We can go there after."

"Right," Undyne said. "Man, we're a couple of crybabies, huh? I mean, Azzy still had us beat there, but still, we're screaming like little girls in here."

"Yeah," Chara chuckled softly. "Seems like only yesterday we tricked him into coming down here."

"Hilarious," Undyne said. "I still laugh at that."

"Me too," Chara said. "But, let's go."

They walked through the doorway, taking a left turn. Coming upon a door, they entered it. Inside, they saw the bathroom with something in the shower.

"What is that?" Chara asked, noticing the green glow of a key. "It's in the shower."

"There's a green glow," Undyne said. "So, let's just go for it."

"Right," Chara nodded as they headed forward slowly, creeping up hoping that whatever was in the shower wasn't going to be violent. Undyne reached forward, flinging open the curtain, revealing… nothing except a green key. She took this, the two walking backwards out of the room.

"Okay, let's keep walking down the hallway." Chara said, Undyne nodding as she followed tightly behind her. Coming to an open hallway, Chara jumped back with a panicked look on her face.

"Hey, take it easy," Undyne held her. "It's just Doctor Gaster's old DT Extraction Machine."

"O-Oh," Chara took a deep breath. "Right… I forgot about that. That… flower took on a similar look in the battle."

"I see," Undyne said. "Say, is that a Healing Point (A/N: A SAVE Point from the game, but doesn't have the SAVING function)?"

"Yeah," Chara nodded. "Let's check this door first. If I remember right, this is just a singular room."

They entered the room to find a TV with several cassette tapes and a video player. A data pad was in this room.

"Found these while snooping in the castle," Chara read. "I don't think Asgore knows about them… I don't think he should."

"What kind of shit could have been in the castle?" Undyne asked.

"Dunno," Chara said. "But, all that isn't in this box here in front of the TV are all sticky. We should make sure to peruse them. But, we also have to find Alphys."

"As much as I agree, we need to understand this," Undyne said. "Pop one in real quick."

Chara nodded, popping the first one in.

"Gorey," A voice came out of the black screen. Chara and Undyne flinched, realizing it was Toriel's voice.

"Yes, Tori?" Asgore's voice followed.

"Our baby is going to be a great _kid_ , right?" Toriel asked.

"Go back to sleep dear," Asgore said with a sigh. "I don't want you to practice being a _momedian_ yet."

Toriel giggled and the tape ended. Undyne put in another, watching as an image of Chara popped onscreen, looking quite cute in a royal dress resembling Toriel's.

"Chara, do your creepy face you did," A small voice came that caused Chara to get choked up. Undyne knew that voice, knowing it was Asriel.

"Aww, widdwe Chawa wooks so cuuute in that dwess." Frisk said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood. Chara blushed, crossing her arms at the comment.

The Chara in the video tilted her head to the side, her eyes beginning to bleed and her mouth dripping black goop that the two watching the video knew as Hatred. Asriel shrieked, dropping the camera, which shut off.

"That's still creepy," Undyne said.

"ya think?" Chara asked. "I didn't even think it was that creepy. But, yeah. What's this next one?"

The next video was Undyne wrestling with Chara over a chocolate bar, which cut to Asriel running in shouting about Asgore.

"This was when we almost killed your dad…" Undyne said.

"Yeah," Chara said. "This last one looks the strangest."

They popped it in, watching as Asriel was crying over the prone body of Chara, said body wracked with the effects of the poisons. Undyne was standing there, holding her head in frustration.

"I don't like this," Both of them heard Asriel whisper. "Chara, I don't like this. I know you said big kids don't cry, but I don't know what else to do here. But… you wanted this and it's not like it'll be hard, right? Six? That's the number."

"No wonder Alphys didn't want your dad finding these," Undyne said. "But, here's the slot for that yellow key I found."

The fish woman inserted it, turning the key. Instantly, the sound of gears turning could be heard.

"Now, we have to find the other two," Chara said. "Let's get out of here."

They left, heading towards the Healing Point, Chara reaching out to touch it. It grew eyes, morphing into a creature that looked like a mix between a mermaid, a talent agent, a Moldbugg, and a muscular arm.

"It's another one of those things," Chara jumped back.

"This one looks… familiar," Undyne said. "Doesn't she?"

"Wait, is that Voiren?" Chara asked.

"Shyren's sister?" Undyne asked. "Yeah, she fell down recently… I can't believe this is where she was. But, the others must be recent fallings as well."

"Voiren," Chara said, stepping closer to the thing. "It's me, Chara. Do you remember me?"

" _Welcome to my special hell,"_ The thing that was partially Voiren opened a large mouth on the portion that resembled a Moldbugg, chomping down on Chara's arm. Chara shouted, trying to get her arm loose.

"Voiren!" She shouted. "Remember me! We shared chocolate together!"

The thing stopped, releasing Chara's arm as Undyne stepped up.

"It's me, Undyne," Undyne said. "We helped make that music festival thing before Mettaton made it all about his stupid ass."

The thing looked at her as the muscular arm punched for Undyne. Undyne, having had well-trained reflexes, dodged and moved back. Chara grabbed onto the creature, feeling herself get sticky form the body of this creature.

"Voiren and whoever else is in there," Chara said. "Don't do this! We can take you home, back to your families! Please stop fighting us."

The thing tried to shake off Chara.

"I order you to stop and listen!" Chara shouted, using a commanding voice she had only ever used when someone was pushing her one step from getting rough. The thing stopped, looking with its 'head' at Chara, as it studied her. Suddenly, it nuzzled her face, causing Chara to smile.

"You do remember me," She said, looking at the thing. "So… what should we call you?"

" _Lemon… Bread,"_ The thing, Lemon Bread, said. _"Because we all like lemons."_

"Alright," Chara nodded. "And don't worry. We'll help you, alright?"

Lemon Bread nodded, disappearing into the room. Chara and Undyne looked at each other.

"So… those things are people who passed," Chara said. "Some that we knew back then."

"Yeah," Undyne said. "Let's see what that data pad over there said."

"The vessel is quite the special one," Undyne read. "It appeared in Asgore's garden shortly after some tragedy he spoke of."

"I'm starting to think that Alphys might have created something she quickly lost control of," Chara shuddered. "I'm starting to think I know what she made."

"Yeah," Undyne nodded. "But… it can't be so bad."

"Right," Chara nodded. "Well, let's go forward."

They walked forward, realizing that the room was fogged over.

"Shit," Undyne said. "Where does Doctor Gaster have the fan system?"

"In the other side," Chara said. "Let's get back there."

The two quickly made their way to the other side of the area, finding the fan switch. Chara pushed it, the two watching as the fans began to blow away the fog. However, some of it began to swirl together, making what resembled a large dog with smaller dogs for its shadows in its legs. The face of the thing was simply a large orifice, dripping a black ooze.

"That's… Chara said.

"All the fallen dogs," Undyne said. "Greatest Dog, Dogamy and Dogaressa's aunt and uncle, Doggo's old man… all of them."

"I wonder if they're the same as before," Chara said. "They're blocking the way."

"Only one way to find out," Undyne waved a magic spear around like a stick. The large dog creature followed it.

"Here, dogs!" Chara whistled, patting her legs. The dog creature ran over to her, making the motion of licking her, which just dripped the goop all over Chara. Chara began to pet the head of the dog, which began to lie down on Chara.

"That's a good dog," Chara laughed. "Just like always. You want a treat?"

The dog creature nodded, making a loud, distorted bark as Chara laughed, pulling out some chips she had taken from the vending machine. The creature began to pant, Chara whistling and throwing one up in the air. The dog creature caught it in the orifice, eating it. Chara pat them, kissing their head.

"Let's call this one Endogeny," Undyne said.

"Clever," Chara chuckled. "Didn't think ya had it in ya."

"Whatever," Undyne said as Endogeny barked loudly and walked away. The two headed to the previously fogged hallway to traverse it with no visual obstructions.

However, as they made it through the hallway, one of the fridges that were in there turned into another of those amorphous things. It looked a little like Snowdrake, but where there were eyes, two Vegetoid heads were growing, laughing like comedy masks.

"This one looks like…" Chara said, pausing.

"Frost," Undyne said. "She fell down just a week before you came back to life."

"I… I can't believe it," Chara took a step forward. "Frost. It's me, Chara."

"Cha… ra," The thing said, its voice pained as if it couldn't go on. "Prin… cess."

"Frost, remember me," Chara said. "Please. I know you do. I want you to talk to me. I want you to focus on us, alright. We're going to help you as best we can."

"We'll get you home to Snowdrake," Undyne said, taking a step forward.

"Snow…y…" The thing that included Frost said. "My… son…"

"Yeah," Chara said. "He'll think it's *sigh* _ice_ to meet you."

The thing shuddered as if laughing as a weak chuckle emerged from Frost's mouth.

"Please… help," Frost said, dropping a blue key. "Save… me…"

"We will," Chara nodded, holding out her hand and stroking Frost's head. The thing left after that, a pained sigh coming from her.

"We need to find Alphys too," Undyne said.

"Right," Chara said. "We haven't seen her. But, I wonder where we can go. This door is the last one here. Once we see what's in here, we might have to go back to the room with the beds and take that other path."

"Right," Undyne said. "Thankfully, these things haven't been as creepy as that one."

"Yeah," Chara nodded. They entered the room. The only things in there were a data pad and a slot for the green key. Undyne put it in while Chara read the data pad.

"It was the first golden flower that had appeared that I decided to use," Chara said. "I wondered… if something that had no SOUL suddenly gained the will to live."

"Holy shit…" Undyne breathed. "Alphys… made that flower."

"I don't think she had malicious intentions," Chara said. "Obviously, she didn't expect that thing to become so… evil."

"Oddly creepy considering that those grew where Azzy died," Undyne said. "Bringing true life from something that was given life through death."

"Deeply philosophical," Chara said. "But, here's something less so: I'll burn that flower when I get a hold of him."

"I'll stab him," Undyne said. "Nobody hurts my little sis figure and gets away with it."

"Technically, you did," Chara snickered. "But, now that we've gotten that key, let's head back."

The two retraced their steps, being extremely cautious as they headed back to where the beds were. They entered the side hallway, Chara's blood running cold as she entered the room.

Inside the room were dozens of golden flowers. They weren't exactly like Flowey, but they were enough to set Chara on edge. Undyne held up a magic spear, ready to impale the first one that moved.

"None of them are him," Frisk said, reemerging since the thing that had brought forth memories. "Sorry I went away. That… thing took a lot out of me."

"It's fine," Chara muttered once she'd regained her composure. "Let's keep an eye on this place."

They walked through, making sure to watch the flowers, Undyne watching their backs. There were mirrors on the walls that helped. Chara saw Frisk beside her, holding her hand. When they reached the last mirror, however, something else was standing there. It was a creature that Chara had no idea how to explain. It looked like an odd contortion of a Whimsalot, a Final Froggit, and an Astigmatism.

"Who are they?" Undyne asked.

"I don't know," Chara said. "But… how do we beat it?"

"Pick on it," Frisk said. "Speak to the Astigmatism."

"Works for me," Chara said. "Hey, you look dumb."

"Thank you," It whispered.

"Undyne, do something to appease the Final Froggit," Chara said.

"I… I get it," Undyne said. She moved her spear in a way that made it look like rubber. The thing gasped, amazed.

Chara then knelt and bowed in reverence, knowing that the Whimsalot in it would respect that.

The strange thing nodded, disappearing. The two looked up and sighed in relief.

"That's good," Undyne said. "Now, let's get out of here. That should be where this last key goes, right?"

"Yeah," Chara nodded. "Hopefully, Alphys is in that big room."

The two walked in and placed the key from Frost in the slot, turning it. They made their way back to the colored door, finding it open. They entered to see an elevator that seemed to be out of power.

"That's our way out of here," Undyne said. "Let's go."

"There should be a power switch, right?" Chara asked. "That's what Doctor Gaster always said, right?"

"That's what I remember," Undyne said. "Let's just make sure."

The two walked into the next room, seeing that the data pad in this room was down. In the final room, they saw that there was the power switch. They walked over to it to see a group of new creatures that were coming towards them.

"What do we do?" Chara asked as she hit the power switch. "Should we run or try to fight?"

"W-Wait!" Alphys cried, running in waving to the two and the creatures. "D-Don't fight!"

"Alphys!" Undyne grabbed her in a hug, holding her tight. "We were so worried about you!"

"I-I'm sorry…" Alphys said. "I-I just wanted to be… wh-where I belonged. W-With the creatures I-I made. A-All alone."

"You don't deserve that," Undyne said. "It doesn't matter what you did. We're your friends. We can help you. But, you did something important: you brought them back."

"Undyne, can you give us a minute?" Chara asked. "I think I know this a little better."

"Uh… okay," Undyne said. "But, you better not do anything stupid."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to do something stupid like 'watching anime and kissing and being a couple of goofs while shirking work'," Chara said with a smirk.

"You read my note!" Undyne exclaimed in irritation.

"Only because you forgot to sign it and she thought I was wanting to date her!" Chara exclaimed. "And, I didn't even mention that last part about the tentacles and the hentai!"

"I was trying to be romantic!" Undyne exclaimed.

"That's just weird!" Chara exclaimed. "Especially for a love letter!"

"Whatever," Undyne crossed her arms. "Take your time."

She walked out, Alphys blushing orange.

"Sit, Alphys," Chara said, sitting and motioning for the Royal Scientist to sit. Alphys sat and gulped, hoping that Chara wasn't going to say anything too bad.

"I know you're scared," Chara said. "I get it. I know what that's like, more than you'd think."

"Y-You were scared?" Alphys asked.

"I screamed like a little girl from that one creature," Chara said.

"Th-The one that m-makes you see things?" Alphys asked.

"Yeah," Chara said. "But, besides that, I was terrified of humans. They had treated me like I didn't deserve to live and that I was a demon."

"S-So that's why you went up the mountain," Alphys said. "I-I understand now."

"But, do you know what helped me when I was on the surface?" Chara asked.

"Wh-What?" Alphys asked.

"I had a friend," Chara said. "Someone who genuinely cared, someone who was there for me. She did a lot of things for me."

"I-I understand," Alphys said. "Sh-She's the one you're c-carrying, right?"

"Don't make it sound as if I'm pregnant," Chara said.

"I'd have your babies," Frisk said teasingly.

"S-Sorry," Alphys looked away, Chara blushing from Frisk's comment. The princess pulled the Royal Scientist's face so it faced hers.

"What you need to make these times better is a friend," Chara said. "And, you've got two plus good ones and one of them is dating you. And then there's Papyrus. So, you know, talk to us. I promise you can tell us anything and we won't judge. But, if you secretly do something like weird stuff with Undyne, just don't tell me."

"A-Alright," Alphys sighed. "Th-Thanks, Chara. I-I know you're a g-good friend."

"Thanks," Chara said. "So, how do you feel?"

"B-Better," Alphys said. "I-I also got you something."

"what?" Chara asked. Alphys walked over to an area of the room, pushing a button to reveal what looked like a mannequin of a female human.

"What's that?" Chara asked.

"I-It's for your friend," Alphys said. "I-It's something I-I tried at first t-to build artificial SOULs… b-but, I couldn't. N-Now, if we put her SOUL in it, w-we could maybe bring h-her back. B-But, for a good bit o-of time, it will mostly be m-magic."

"I… I can come back," Frisk said, amazement in her features.

"So, it can become human?" Chara asked.

I-It adapts to the form o-of the SOUL," Alphys explained. "B-But, it starts out a-as mostly magic. I-it's similar to h-how Mettaton's form is, b-but not metal. I-I had made this for h-him originally, b-but I went with the r-robot later on."

"Cool," Chara said. "So, how do we get her SOUL out?"

"Th-The DETERMINATION Extraction Machine," Alphys said. "I-It may be able to."

"Well, let's do it," Chara said. "Lead the way, doc."

"A-Alright," Alphys nodded, carrying the body, which seemed to not weigh much, out of the room.

"What's that?" Undyne asked.

"Something I'm going to enjoy," Chara said. "Wait… should we get her clothes?"

"I-I borrowed some from A-Asgore's house earlier today… b-before the date," Alphys blushed. "Th-The only thing in there th-that looked the right size was a-a sweater a-and some pants."

"Blue and pink?" Chara asked.

"Y-Yes," Alphys nodded.

"I see…" Chara said.

"I-It was r-really pretty a-and I didn't th-think it would be missed, b-because I remember Asgore s-saying his daughter couldn't wear it." Alphys said.

"Look, just stop," Chara held up a hand. "I get it. No harm done… it was actually her colors to begin with."

"O-Oh," Alphys said. "W-Well, i-if you get in the D-DETERMINATION Extraction Machine, I'll get y-you set up."

"Alright," Chara stood next to the machine as Alphys opened it up. Undyne walked back over and looked at what was happening.

"You guys playin' mad scientist?" She asked.

"N-No," Alphys blushed a little. "I-I'm going to g-give Chara's extra passenger a new b-body."

"Is that safe?" Undyne asked.

"N-Not sure," Alphys said. "D-Doctor Gaster had done this to be able to remove S-SOULs, but he had mentioned it wouldn't work f-for monsters. Since a h-human SOUL is more durable, i-it might."

Undyne shrugged, watching as Alphys activated the machine and Chara's body began to twitch inside the machine. Her SOUL began to emerge, splitting into two SOULs, one red, one slightly darker red, that diverged. Alphys took one, putting it onto the construct, the SOUL being absorbed by the construct.

"How did you know which SOUL was Chara's?" Undyne asked.

"H-Her magic was stronger in her o-own SOUL," Alphys said. "I-It made sense since she u-used such strong magic a-and her friend didn't resonate any."

"I see," Undyne said. "So, what's with this mannequin?"

"I-It's a magical construct," Alphys explained. "I-It can take on t-traits of the SOUL inside and make it their own. B-But, I've never tested it on a SOUL s-since monster SOULs don't last long. H-Human SOULs do a-and this should revert to a non-magical body after long enough."

"How long is that?" Undyne asked.

"A-A few months at least," Alphys said. "B-But, that won't matter. Th-This will give me a-an interesting chance to s-study this passenger in a n-non-invasive way."

"I see," Undyne said. "So, where are some clothes?"

"Wh-What?" Alphys asked.

"Cuz this thing's gonna be naked, right?" Undyne asked.

"O-Oh, I got some," Alphys pulled out a suitcase from a nearby room. "I-I got them from N-New Home."

"So, should we get Chara out of there?" Undyne asked.

"S-Sure," Alphys said. She pushed a couple of buttons on the machine and opening it up. Chara got out, standing up, a bit shaky.

"You okay, Chara?" Undyne grabbed her.

"Sure," Chara said. "Where's Frisk?"

Alphys shyly pointed to the construct, which was glowing red as it began to accept the SOUL. It began to change its shape, giving itself hair and female structure, making it look female. Alphys quickly put a blanket over the construct as it began to become more defined. She also tossed the sweater and some other clothing articles over that, covering her face and blushing.

Chara looked, watching as the glow died down, revealing the form of the human she'd wanted to see most. However, there were also black lines Chara knew as Hatred streaking down her face. These slowly began to retract, the human opening her eyes.

"Where'd I wake up this time?" She asked, looking around. "Oh… this place. Looks weird outside of Chara's body."

"Frisk…" Chara said, her voice choking as she saw the human she loved. She grabbed her, holding her.

"Missed you too, my little angel," Frisk said, holding her. "It's been real fun with you though."

"Probably should put on some clothes," Undyne rolled her eyes. "But, whatever. If Chara lets you stay, I will too."

"Not like you haven't seen it all before," Frisk gave a wink as she stood, Chara holding the blanket over her as she put on the clothes.

"Now, let's get outta here." Undyne said. "The elevator broke and now we gotta find another."

"Th-That stupid thing is always breaking," Alphys sighed.

"It killed me," Chara said. "Should probably get that looked at."

"Y-Yeah," Alphys said.

"Well, I'm going to see my dad," Chara said. "Undyne, you guys come in as backup."

"You got it," Undyne grinned. "Now, get outta here. We're gonna talk for like five minutes first."

Chara headed back to the elevator room, Frisk accompanying her.

"It feels weird… to feel," Frisk said. "After so long."

"Feels great to have you again," Chara said, pulling her into a hug. "I missed you so much."

"Well now we can be closer than ever." Frisk gave her sly smirk.

"You're such a flirt," Chara sighed, pushing the button on the elevator.

"Soon, we'll be together again, Chara," Chara and Frisk heard the voice.

"Asriel?" Chara asked, looking around rapidly.

"Chara…" Frisk sighed, preparing to tell Chara what she needed to know. However, before she could, the elevator shot up fast, throwing the two to the floor. When they felt it stop, the doors opened to reveal New Home near the castle.

When the two stepped out for fear of the elevator falling, vines quickly blocked it shut.

"Vines…" Chara said, her eyes widening as she took off running to the castle, pulling Frisk with her.

"Hold up, I'm not used to walking yet!" Frisk shouted.

"Sorry," Chara slowed down a little, picking Frisk up and running back to the throne room as fast as her legs would carry her. She set Frisk down outside the room, walking in to see Asgore still watering flowers. She sighed in relief, noticing he was alright.

"Dad?" She asked, pulling on his cape like she'd done all those years ago. "Do you want some pie?"

"That voice…" Asgore turned, looking down at the sixteen year old, who looked back, that same hopeful expression he'd known in her eyes.

"Ch-Chara?" Asgore asked, dropping his watering can and taking a step back. "Is… is that you?"

"It's me dad," Chara smiled, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her.

"I… had a… dream you'd returned," Asgore said. "I also saw a pretty little flower, but that's beside the point. I can't believe you are back. My little princes is back somehow."

"Yeah," Chara nodded, tears of happiness running down her face. "And, I brought you some pie from mom."

"Your mother made me pie?" Asgore asked, shocked.

"I asked her to save you a slice and I brought it back." Chara said. "I knew you'd probably want some."

"Thank you, Chara," Asgore kissed her forehead. "I know that it won't be the same, but I promise that the two of us will raise you and we will try to be a family again."

"That's all I want," Chara said, handing him the pie. "Enjoy the pie."

Asgore ate the pie, hugging Chara in that tight hug she was always used to, but never expecting. He held her close, enjoying the feeling of holding the human in his arms again. Chara enjoyed the feeling of being warm and safe in his arms, just like when she was a child.

Suddenly, he turned around, leaning over Chara in a way Chara didn't expect. She heard the sound of a fireball striking him and him grunting in pain.

"Asgore Dreemurr!" Toriel exclaimed. "Unhand my daughter!"

"Mom?" Chara asked, moving to stand in between Asgore and Toriel.

"She is _our_ daughter, Tori," Asgore said, putting a gentle hand on Chara. "We shouldn't be having this fight in front of her. She doesn't need to see this. What brings you here?"

"I came to make sure she gets safely to you without you doing anything I'd make you regret," Toriel said with a harsh tone.

"I would never hurt our daughter," Asgore said defensively, offended at the very notion. "I love Chara like my own flesh and blood. I always did."

"You murdered six humans to get here," Toriel spoke with a still harsh tone. "I didn't recognize her at first, so I figured you wouldn't either, Dreemurr."

"STOP IT!" Chara shouted, stamping her foot like a child. "Stop fighting! You love each other! Act like it!"

"Chara…" Asgore said, holding up a hand so Toriel didn't speak. "While you were gone, there were some… things that made us look at out marriage and—"

"NO!" Chara shouted. "I don't care about the six humans! Fuck the six humans! I want my family back! Asriel isn't coming back, but that doesn't mean you guys have to be gone too! I want us to live together! As a family! I don't… I don't want to have to share custody!"

"Chara…" Toriel and Asgore said, the former closing the distance between her and her child. "We love you… but, it's… complicated between us."

"We can talk about this later," Asgore said. "For right now, let's celebrate that we have our daughter back."

"Seems like you got that happy ending," Frisk said, leaning on the door.

"Um, who are you?" Toriel asked, looking at the newly reborn human.

"I'm—" Frisk began before Undyne and Alphys ran in.

"Nobody fight!" Undyne shouted. "Not even you two former lovebirds! That's actually Chara!"

"Um… thank you, Undyne," Asgore said. "But, we already knew."

"I was talking mostly to you," Undyne said. "I know Lady T knew. But, yeah, that's Chara. So, uh, don't attack her."

"Just get in on the hug that's about to happen," Chara said, motioning to her. Undyne practically jumped into the hug that happened between the three, hugging the two monsters that practically raised her and the human that was practically her sister.

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE COME TO ANNOUNCE TO THE KING THAT THE HUMAN IS FRIENDLY AND KNOWS HIM!" Papyrus exclaimed.

"And, I'm here too," Sans lazily said before his eyes landed on Frisk.

"You!" He growled, summoning bones that tried to impale Frisk. However, with speed he didn't expect from a human, she dodged it cleanly, not even raising a fist to attack.

"I don't want to fight," Frisk said quietly. "I'm a pacifist."

"You dirty brother killer!" Sans shouted, summoning a Gaster Blaster to attack. However, before the Gaster Blaster could fire, it was sliced in half, Chara landing in front of Sans with her eye glowing a bright red.

"Leave her alone," She growled. "I won't let you hurt her."

"You're gonna stand in _her_ defense?" Sans asked, his own eye glowing blue. "Even after what she's done?"

"She's my responsibility," Chara said. "I'll handle her."

"If you're gonna stand in my way of protecting the Underground, I'll just have to fight you too," Sans said. "But, don't worry. I ain't gonna kill ya."

"Sans, don't do this," Undyne said.

"I'll turn you to dust if you even think of touching her," Chara said, her hand ablaze with fire.

"Chara…" Toriel said. "She knows magic?"

"Intriguing," Asgore said. "Gaster said she had some potential, but I didn't think he meant it was this powerful."

"BROTHER, PLEASE DON'T FIGHT THE HUMANS!" Papyrus said. "WE CAN BE FRIENDS."

Sans teleported back, firing bones at Chara, who hit them with a fireball. She threw her knife, Sans dodging only to get punched in the face by Chara. She grabbed him by the hoodie, kicking him back.

"Why are you of all people defending a human?" Sans asked, summoning a Gaster Blaster. "I can't read your mind, kid. Gimme a good reason why I should let you walk away from this one."

"She's everything to me!" Chara began to concentrate her flames into her hands in an attempt to summon a large fireball. "After what I've experienced, even Papyrus would hate humanity!"

They launched their attacks at each other, but before they hit, Asgore stepped in the middle.

Both attacks hit him head on, not even leaving a scratch on him. Both Sans and Chara gasped, considering that Chara had been aiming to use killing intent. But, Asgore was unharmed, grabbing both by the hand.

"Stand down, Sans," Asgore said.

"But—" Sans began.

"I said stand down," Asgore said in his commanding voice. Chara shuddered; if this was how strong her dad still was, she was sure glad he didn't try to fight her… she wasn't sure she'd have lived even if she was fighting back.

Asgore walked over to Frisk, kneeling down in front of her.

"Chara has oft expressed her hatred of humanity," He said in a voice everyone present could hear. "She would rather kill them herself than help one, much less defend them from a Judge. However, there is one human that I can remember her speaking of positively. Tell me, human… are you Frisk that she spoke of?"

"I am," Frisk said, looking at Asgore.

"Then you have my deepest condolences and thanks," Asgore wrapped his arms around her tightly. "If it weren't for you, my daughter would not be with us at all."

"Thanks," Frisk said. "Chara told me so much about you."

"Sans," Toriel said. "Why did you attack Frisk?"

"We'll tell that story later," Chara said. "For now, let's just be happy."

"Alright," Toriel sighed, not wanting to push the issue.

"Darlings, I think there's something we all need." Mettaton emerged from the door, holding up a mic to Undyne and Alphys, hundreds, if not thousands of monsters having crowded into the room behind him. "I hear two someones are now a couple."

"Uh, y-yes," Alphys blushed orange. "W-We are."

"Well, go on and kiss!" Mettaton said, a camera capturing the two's image. "Give the crowd something to cheer for.

Undyne looked at Alphys and shrugged, the two leaning in for a quite awkward looking kiss. Before their lips touched, however, Toriel stepped in between them.

"Uh, not in front of the children," She said.

"I'm not a kid!" Chara said, crossing her arms. She felt Frisk grab her arm, turning to face her.

"I suppose that we gotta set the example." She said with that wink and smirk that Chara was always flustered by.

"What the fu—" Chara started before Frisk's lips met hers in a quick closing of distance. Frisk pulled her over, wrapping her arms around the princess. Chara, at first, started to protest, but quickly closed her eyes and leaned into it.

Sans hand quickly covered Papyrus' eyes, the taller skeleton shouting his protests. Chara moaned softly into the kiss; Frisk was well aware of how to give a good one and Chara was enjoying the feeling.

Toriel and Asgore were watching with jaws open wide, Toriel staring in shock as Chara's arms wrapped around Frisk's body and pulled her even closer.

"Dayum," Undyne said. "Chara's pretty good for a first timer."

"Darling, that's hot," Mettaton said, filming. "The audience is going to love this."

Chara's middle finger was held up towards Mettaton, who put the camera down with a slightly irritated look on his face.

After Frisk pulled back, Chara had a dopey, shocked look on her face. After stuttering something unintelligible, she turned around and collapsed, Frisk bursting out laughing.

"Figured I'd let you know how I felt about those feelings of yours." Frisk snickered. "Guess I overdid it huh? Man, I should have figured you were a lightweight."

"I-Is she okay?" Alphys asked.

"She'll be fine," Frisk picked the princess up. "She's just never been kissed like that before. Not gonna lie, I quite like this look of hers."

"I think our daughter needs to give us some explanations," Toriel said.

"She does," Asgore said.

"It's a real Chara-cter moment," Sans said, trying to ignore Frisk, Frisk beginning to snicker along with Toriel.

"Too bad I can't tell jokes like that," Frisk said.

"So just like that, you're gonna forgive and forget?" Sans asked, his eye glowing. "Even after I tried to kill you?"

"Well, yeah," Frisk shrugged. "That's how I live. I'm a pacifist and I like to forgive and forget. I tried to teach Chara that, but she had too much she carried."

"You've got some explaining to do, kid," Sans said. "If the princess of all people trusts you, I suppose I should get to know you before I start swingin'. Would be a poor Judge if I didn't."

"We'll tell you everything later," Frisk said as Chara began to return to normalcy.

"Hoooooly shiiiiiit," She breathed out, looking at Frisk. "You better have more like that one."

"Not while your parents are around," Frisk winked.

"There shall be none of _that_ ," Toriel said firmly.

"Motherfucker," Chara muttered.

"Yes, Chara?" Asgore said.

"ASGORE!" Toriel scolded the chuckling king.

"But, seriously," Chara managed to get out of Frisk's arms. "If you want a story out of us, I want you to try to work through your issues."

"We will try," Asgore said.

"I… I suppose we owe you that," Toriel sighed. "You don't deserve to have to deal with our mistakes like that."

"I suppose we could use an explanation," Sans said. "Especially how your DETERMINATION allowed you to come back from death like that so many times."

"Excuse me, Chara _what_ now!?" Toriel exclaimed, turning to Sans and Undyne.

"I'll explain that too," Chara said. "It's a long story, but I think we should just celebrate that we're all together… minus Asriel… *sigh*"

"Right," Asgore looked down. "I… I should have stopped him."

"There was nothing we could have done," Toriel said.

"I knew what they were planning," Asgore said. "But, I didn't stop them. I believed that they would be safe."

"We'll talk about this later," Toriel said. "We can have a discussion with all of us and let everything be out in the open."

"I understand," Asgore said. "I just wish Asriel was here as well. Our family would be completely whole again."

"On a… different note…" Alphys said. "P-Papyrus… what made you come here with Sans? I-I didn't tell you anything."

"WELL" The tall skeleton said, proudly striking a pose. "A TINY FLOWER TOLD ME!"

Sans eye sockets disappeared as Undyne summoned a magic spear. Frisk grabbed Chara's hands as the princess froze up. Alphys turned a little pale.

"A-A-A tiny… f-f-flower?" She asked, looking around.

Before the skeleton could respond, a bunch of vines encircled everyone in the room, raising Chara into the air.

"Well, well, well," a voice Chara dreaded came into her ear. "Looks like it's such a happy reunion. Too bad it's gonna get worse."

"Leave us alone!" Chara shouted in anger. "You're not wanted here!"

"Oh, Chara, Chara, Chara," Flowey emerged right in front of her. "You don't get it, do you? I don't care."

"Chara!" Frisk shouted to Chara. "Listen! That flower! He's really A—"

Flowey's vines encircled Frisk's mouth, silencing her.

"That's my little secret to reveal," Flowey laughed, turning his attention back to Chara. "Now, _princess_ , let's have some fun. I've already taken the six SOULs, so now let's let an audience watch as I take yours."

He began to shoot magic bullets at Chara's chest, her SOUL beginning to emerge. She screamed in pain, feeling her SOUL crack. However, the last attack only healed her. Flowey looked in shock as a fireball hit him. He turned and glared at Toriel.

"Leave my daughter alone, you freak," Toriel said.

"Oh, you're going to be fun…" Flowey grinned a sinister grin. "But, I suppose I'll finish Chara first."

He shot more, but a red spear, a blue spear, and some bones attacked him next.

"Leave her alone," Asgore growled. "You won't hurt her anymore."

"You know what?" Flowey cackled. "I'll just take you all and then finish Chara."

Six SOULs began to float around him, the world shaking as shrieks were heard outside and form the monsters. Thousands of white monster SOULs flew into Flowey, who only laughed.

"Stop this!" Chara exclaimed. "Just kill me instead."

"I don't want it to be that easy, dear Chara," Flowey snickered as he dropped her and Frisk. The two humans watched as the flower began to contort and twist. The world turned black as he began to glow a sheer white.

Chara peered into it, trying to see what he was becoming. When the light died down, she saw something that caused her to feel true horror. Flowey was facing away from her, but was wearing a sweater like hers and a black pair of pants. He was taller than her and had white fur and fluffy ears.

"No…" Chara whispered, her heart going cold as her face paled.

"Golly," A soft, very, very familiar voice coming from what Flowey had become. "I was so tired of being a flower."

"No, no, no!" Chara covered her ears and clenched her eyes shut, shaking her head as she felt her eyes water. "You're not real! You're just fucking with me, you damned flower!"

She opened her eyes, seeing 'Flowey' turn to her, showing his kind smile and red eyes.

"Howdy, Chara." He said, Chara freezing in place. "It's me, your best friend."

With that Flowey began to change once again, chuckling like Asgore would.

"Asriel Dreemurr."

* * *

Well, that stuff happened. That was a long chapter with tons of plot. Next chapter is the final Pacifist Route Chapter. As for if anything happens after that, well, we'll see. I hope you enjoy.


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